This was Diane Armstrong’s contribution for the pre-dinner cocktail hour(s) in Lake Tahoe. Our wonderful hosts Terri and Bill provide a fabulous breakfast, lunch and dinner, and only ask that each night one of us come up an appetizer. (How dare they?) This was a favorite, and when I served it last night to some lovely ladies sharing wine together it disappeared quickly.
It’s easy to make either with fresh tomatoes if they’re ripe, or canned if not. Or even a combination. You just saute them with shallots and garlic, place in the bottom of a baking dish and scatter shrimp and feta cheese over the top. I made this earlier in the day and popped it in the oven when the corks started popping.
I’m using Diane’s photo; you can see she used cherry tomatoes. I followed the recipe suggestion of peeling large tomatoes and although it’s maybe slightly preferable I don’t think it makes much difference; and skipping the peeling really simplifies an already simple recipe. I didn’t have any mint (wasn’t sure that sounded right anyway) and found fresh basil a perfect addition. A squeeze of fresh lemon before baking added brightness.
Extra-virgin olive oil
3 large shallots, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper
2 pounds large ripe tomatoes
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 ounces Greek feta cheese
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
2 Tbs. roughly chopped mint (or basil)
Sliced baguette for serving
Put 4 Tbs. olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 to 8 minutes. Lower heat as necessary to keep mixture from browning. Remove from heat while preparing tomatoes.
Fill a saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add whole tomatoes and cook for about 2 minutes, until skins loosen. Immediately plunge tomatoes in a bowl of cold water to cool, then drain. With a paring knife, core tomatoes and slip off skins. Cut tomatoes into thick wedges (I broke them up with my fingers).
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Return skillet to stove over medium-high heat. Add tomato wedges and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until mixture is juicy and tomatoes have softened, about 10 minutes. Transfer mixture to a shallow earthenware baking dish.
Put shrimp in a mixing bowl. Add 1 Tbs. olive oil, season shrimp with salt and pepper and stir to coat. Arrange shrimp over tomato mixture in one layer. Crumble cheese over surface and sprinkle with oregano.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until tomatoes are bubbling and cheese has browned slightly. Remove from oven and let dish rest for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with mint and serve. Serves 4 to 6.
Note: My feta didn’t brown, and I didn’t want to overcook the shrimp so removed it from the oven after 12 minutes. You could toss the leftovers with hot pasta! If you are using large ripe tomatoes I would cut them in half and squeeze out the seeds before cooking. If using canned tomatoes, drain the juice.
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