Shrimp w/ Feta & Tomatoes (Garides Saganaki)

Last summer I was introduced to a cookbook author that I had never heard of before.  Tessa Kiros.  My introduction came by way of her latest cookbook, Food From Many Greek Kitchens.  I was enamored by the beautiful color photos.  I was transported by her words and descriptions of the food, the people, the place.  My stomach rumbled over the recipes I imagined cooking in my kitchen.  And then, by some turn of fate, Tessa was chosen as our featured chef/cook over at IHCC...which in turn took me further into the realm of Tessa Kiros cookbooks.

Over the last six months, I totally fell for Tessa.  I now own a few more of her books - each one as beautiful and delicious as the next.  I even managed to keep one checked out from the library for a whole six months (between 5 cards in the house and continuous renewals).  I cooked something of Tessa's at least once a week over this time.  I didn't come across one dish I didn't enjoy.  I think only two of the things I made didn't make it to the blog.  Both were due to bad photos.  They didn't do the food justice, so I chose not to share them.  But her vast variety of foods - both in variety and cooking levels - made it easy (and desireable) to make something in their place when that happened.

If  aren't familiar with Tessa Kiros, I highly recommend you take some time to check out a few of her cookbooks.  Our six months with Tessa may be over, but she's made her way permanently into my kitchen.  I have plenty more bookmarks and sticky tabs still splayed from her books and plan on narrowing them down over time.  This dish was one of those.  It was rich, full of flavor, and absolutely a dish for sharing with friends and loved ones.

Shrimp w/ Feta & Tomato (Garides Saganaki)

Warm shrimp in tomatoes with Feta cheese is the perfect appetizer serves alongside some crusty bread.

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Keywords: saute appetizer entree shrimp tomatoes cheese Greek

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

• 1 pound raw shrimp, shelled & deveined
• 5 tablespoonsolive oil
• 4 ounces green onions, sliced
• 8 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• couple pinches crushed red chiles
• 1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 6-8 ounces Feta cheese, crumbled

Instructions

Heat oil in a wide nonstick pan with a lid over medium-low. Sauté onion until softened. Add garlic and continue to sauté until it smells good. Add tomatoes, crushed red chiles, half of the parsley and a bit of salt and pepper. Put on the lid and simmer for ~10 minutes.

Add shrimp to the pan and stir gently to coat with the sauce. Simmer, covered, for 3-4 minutes. Scatter the feta over the top, replace the lid and cook until feta has just softened, ~5 minutes, shaking the pan a few times.

To serve, grind some more black pepper over the top and scatter with remaining parsley. Serve with a good, crusty bread and a glass of crisp, white wine.

note:

If you wish, you could also remove the tails from the shrimp before cooking, for ease of eating.

-adapted from Food From Many Greek Kitchens by Tessa Kiros

And while I am sad to see our time with Tessa come to an end...I am equally as excited to announce that the chef we will be cooking with for the next six months at IHCC is MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE CHEF, Rick Bayless.  I hope you'll join us in exploring the recipes of Rick Bayless over at IHCC...whether they're new to you or as comfortable as your favorite pair of jeans.