Shrimp and Feta Rigatoni
This is a house favorite but also the one I pull out when company is coming. We usually double the sauce but dont change the amount of pasta or shrimp as some people like just the sauce.
This is a house favorite but also the one I pull out when company is coming. We usually double the sauce but dont change the amount of pasta or shrimp as some people like just the sauce.
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
- 8 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 1 pound rigatoni
- 2 14-oz cans diced tomatoes
- 4 tablespoons fresh basil shredded
- 2 tablespoons sambuca
- 1 1/2 pound shrimp peeled and deveined
- 2 pinch red pepper flakes
- 1/2 pound feta cheese crumbled
- Carbohydrate 49.5718053605269 g
- Cholesterol 257.973333333333 mg
- Fat 16.4415760715355 g
- Fiber 1.77635751043927 g
- Protein 37.8798568256107 g
- Saturated Fat 6.8649920766168 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (367g)
- Sodium 634.946329539444 mg
- Sugar 47.7954478500877 g
- Trans Fat 1.73518497896576 g
- Calories 503 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 450.
- Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in medium skillet.
- Add garlic and cook briefly (about 4 minutes) add tomatoes and cook for 1 minute over moderate heat.
- Add wine, salt, pepper, basil, and oregano.
- cook for 5 minutes.
- Add Sambuca, cook for 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle shrimp with red pepper flakes.
- Cook quickly in remaining oil until shrimp turns pink.
- Spread shrimp in shallow baking dish.
- Sprinkle with feta cheese and spoon tomatoe mixture on over all.
- bake for ten to fifteen minutes.
Briny crumbles of sharp cheese melt unevenly into a thick, herb-scented tomato reduction while tender shellfish turns pink and opaque under intense dry heat. Managing simultaneous stovetop reduction and high-heat oven sequencing requires careful attention to active cooking windows, particularly when dealing with proteins that overcook easily. Sautéing the minced garlic in extra-virgin olive oil for four minutes over moderate heat builds a flavorful aromatic base, but watch closely so the sulfurous compounds do not turn bitter. Deglazing with dry white wine and simmering the canned diced tomatoes allows excess water to evaporate before the Sambuca goes into the skillet. Anise-flavored liqueurs contain high alcohol percentages that must cook down for five full minutes to soften the sharp botanical punch, leaving behind a subtle background sweetness that balances the acidity of the tomatoes. While the reduction thickens, cook the shrimp separately in a hot skillet for just a minute or two until the exterior changes color, then immediately transfer them to a shallow baking dish. Overcooking crustacea yields a rubbery texture that no amount of sauce can rescue, making the visual cue of an opaque pink shell the ultimate indicator of doneness. Layering the crumbled cheese and warm tomato mixture directly over the cooked shellfish before sliding the vessel into a 450 degree oven ensures the feta softens without melting into total oblivion. Allocate fifteen minutes maximum for this final bake, monitoring the surface for bubbling edges and light browning. Budget-conscious cooks will appreciate that frozen shrimp works just as well as fresh when completely thawed and patted dry on paper towels to prevent excess moisture from diluting the sauce.
