Thursday 5 April 2012

DAY 47: Cousin Nick's Shrimp and Orzo Dish (manestra/μανέστρα)


One day we stopped in to see Cousin Nick and his wife, just for a visit and a friendly hello.  Everyone has a Cousin Nick (or an uncle, or a brother), don't they?  Well, we went to have a visit, and, of course, you walk in for a visit, you are going to stay for a meal.  It is what Greeks do -- they feed people.  So, being the good guests that we are, we sat down to eat.  

Now, usually, we wouldn't expect that we would be able to eat anything when visiting others because not everyone is fasting, nor is everyone fasting the same way.  We are generally following the strict fast (we do use oil for some dishes), whereas we know many people who are doing what they can, but still including some dairy products.  And, even if we were to be guests at a home that offered us something that was animal product, it is not our place to boast about fasting, nor is it right to judge or lecture the other person.  You graciously accept what you are given, have a small quantity so not to offend your host, and keep your mouth shut.  That's the general rule -- just be a good guest and move on.  And, that's what we were prepared to do.

What a nice surprise to find that Cousin Nick and his wife were fasting, but included dairy in their diets to make sure that their son got the nutritional benefits of milk, cheese, and yogurt.  Many parents do this, and children under a certain age are not required to follow the regimen of fasting so they can grow, so we do understand...  I digress.  

So, when we sat down at the table, Cousin Nick brought out a large bowl that was filled to the brim with a lovely mixture of  shrimp, manestra (μανέστρα, orzo), tomatoes, and cheese.  Wow!  Not only did this look delicious, the smell of yumminess just filled the room.  After we all enjoyed a meal together, we had to ask Cousin Nick how he made this dish, so we could duplicate it -- maybe without the cheese for now.  He and his beautiful wife gladly shared with us.

Cousin Nick started to tell us the story of the restaurant (years back it even appeared on a well known American comedy series) that he owned (go figure, a Greek named Nick having a restaurant!) and how he used to tinker around in the kitchen.  One day, he stumbled upon this nice combination of shrimp and feta, and wanted something interesting to put with it.  Orzo (μανέστρα) is the undervalued food here.  It is not used often enough unless you already know about it.  Some people will look at it and think, "What is this -- rice or pasta?"  But, Cousin Nick, like us, grew up eating μανέστρα the way his parents made it, and liked it so much, it was one of his first choices to put in his recipe.

Orzo is pasta.  It is the shape that appears like rice.  It cooks like spaghetti in salted water, it doubles in size when cooking, and will fill you when eating.  It is a pasta, and you use it the same way you would use any other shape of pasta.

Now that we know that orzo is pasta, we can return to our story. 

So, Cousin Nick told us about some of the different things that he tried, and then came upon this combination in front of us.  He even tried selling it at his restaurant, which, he said, went pretty well among the Greeks and Italians -- the ones who already knew orzo.  But, when he sold his restaurant, he took the recipes with him, and now the only time he makes this is when having company at home.  We are thankful to have been company that day!

Let's look at the rest of the recipe.  To make this recipe, which will feed four people, you will need the following:

1 1/2 cups orzo (it will end up being about 4 cups cooked)
1 onion, diced (we used red, but yellow or Spanish is fine, too)
14 oz diced tomatoes (canned or fresh)
1 1/2 cups shrimp, cleaned and peeled
salt, pepper, and oregano to taste
optional: 1 cup feta cheese crumbles (We did not use it this time, although some stores do sell a vegan feta cheese)
water, enough to cook the pasta.


And, the steps are quite simple.  It is a one-pot meal that takes very little time to prepare.  Here are the steps:

First, dice the onion, clean the shrimp, and, if you are using fresh tomatoes, chop the tomatoes -- otherwise, open the can.

Saute the onions in a little oil.  You will cook them until they are soft, but keep the pot on a medium heat so the onions do not get brown.

Next, season the onions with a little salt, pepper, and oregano.  We used about a teaspoon of Greek oregano to start, a pinch of salt and two pinches of pepper.






Then, add the shrimp, which have been cleaned and peeled.
Mix very well so that all the shrimp are coated with the seasonings.  Cook for just a few minutes until the shrimp are fully cooked, pink, and look like you want to eat them right then.



Add the cooked orzo.  Give the contents of the pot a stir so that the orzo is coated with the oil and the seasonings, and you have no lumps or sticky balls of pasta.




Lastly, add the tomatoes.  Use the tomato chunks with the liquid.  If you are using fresh tomatoes, you may need to add a little water to get everything moist in the pot.  

Mix this well and continue to cook it until all of the ingredients are hot and mixed well.  This should be about five minutes.  You can put a lid on it to make the heating process go a little faster, but expect that the orzo and shrimp will absorb some of the liquid, and you may need to add a little more so that nothing sticks in the pan.



If you are going to add feta cheese (we did not, due to Great Lent), now is the time to add that.  Crumble about 3/4 of the feta into the pot and mix well.  The cheese will partly melt and become creamy in the manestra.  Use the remaining bits for the top of the dish as a garnish.

Serve this dish hot with your choice of vegetable.  We served peas (from frozen) because they could be mixed into the dish and add another dimension of texture and flavour.  You choose what veggies you like and have.  

Now that we are mentioning vegetables, you should know that we have made this and added frozen vegetables, or spinach, or even chopped peppers to this meal, and cooked them into the dish while cooking the onions.  Each time we add something different, this becomes a brand new recipe for us.  Some of the best variations we have used have been spinach, red peppers, or crab meat instead of shrimp.  You should choose flavours that blend well with tomatoes, and go with the oregano.  For us, it has been about picking a sweeter protein (shrimp and crab are both sweet seafoods) and a tangy vegetable (something that punches when you bit it).  But, you will find your favourites.  Start with the basic recipe, see if you like it, and then start adding your variations.  That way, you will know what to expect, and what would be a good addition for you.

Cousin Nick is a very good cook.  He really was proud when we told him that we were making this dish regularly at home -- his joy is with good reason!  We are proud of him for creating such a lovely dish that we have been able to use through fasting times and non-fasting times.  And, now that we have tweaked the recipe a little, it has become ours.  So, thank you, Cousin Nick, for sharing!  And, for all of you are going off to make this dish, please drink a toast to Cousin Nick. 

Καλή Όρεξη!

Holy Hierarch Ignaty Brianchaninov† If thou, O man, dost not forgive everyone who has sinned against thee, then do not trouble thyself with fasting. If thou dost not forgive the debt of thy brother, with whom thou art angry for some reason, then thou dost fast in vain God will not accept thee. Fasting will not help thee, until thou wilt become accomplished in love and in the hope of faith. Whoever fasts and becomes angry, and harbors enmity in his heart, such a one hates God and salvation is 
far from him.

(Source: http://www.stgeorgegreenville.org/OurFaith/Fasting/Sayings-Church%20Fathers.html)

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