Shrimp Orzo Skillet

I finally decided to pull out the Pampered Chef cookbooks I got at my bridal shower 2+ years ago. Steven and I are looking to eat a little healthier, so more veggies, less red meat.

This recipe was pretty tasty! I did a suggested substitution and used asparagus instead of peas (neither of us are big fans of peas) and was happy with how it came out. I also left out the mint they recommended

One complaint I have about the PC cookbooks is that they boldface the PC equipment they want you to use so it's easy to get caught on the bolded word and miss the actual ingredient (you know, the important stuff) you're supposed to use that equipment on. I had to re-read some steps a few times to pick out exactly what what supposed to be going on.


Shrimp Orzo Skillet

Ingredients
For the shrimp:
8 oz large uncooked shrimp (21-25 per pound)
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1/8 tsp sugar (helps to caramelize the shrimp)

For the orzo:
8 oz orzo pasta
1 garlic clove, pressed
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup clam juice
1 lemon
1 tbsp thinly sliced fresh mint (I omitted this)
1 cup blanched asparagus, cut into 1-2" pieces (or 1 cup frozen peas)
1 Tbsp butter

Directions

1. For shrimp, peel and devein shrimp. Add oil to a 10" skillet and heat over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. As skillet heats combine salt, black pepper, and sugar in small bowl. Add shrimp and toss to coat.

2. Arrange shrimp in a single layer over bottom of Skillet and cook about 1 minute or until one side is browned and edges are pink. Remove skillet from heat and turn shrimp over with a small slotted spatula. Let stand an additional 30 seconds or until centers are opaque and shrimp is cooked through. Remove shrimp from skillet and set aside.

3. For orzo, in same skillet, combine orzo, pressed garlic, broth and clam juice. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 10-12 minutes or until orzo is cooked through.

4. As orzo cooks, zest lemon to measure 1 Tbsp zest, then juice the lemon to measure 1 Tbsp juice. Thinly slice the mint.

5. Remove skillet from heat and stir in asparagus, butter, and lemon juice. Arrange shrimp over orzo, cover and let stand 3-5 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with lemon zest and mint before serving.

In the end we got a tasty dish. The orzo had lots of flavor, the shrimp was delicious, the asparagus tender, and the lemon zest added a bit of freshness.