Fervent Foodie

One of the perks of working in the city is having the world at your fingertips on your lunch break.  When the clock hits noon, I like to hit the street.  Often, I’ll swing through the library or take a stroll through the 7th St Public Market.  When it’s warm, I find a nice table in the shade and read while I eat, and when it’s cold, I saddle up next to the fireplace at Carribou.  There’s a grocery store just a few blocks away, and I’ve found squeezing my shopping into my lunch break to be not only productive but surprisingly liberating.

Adapted from Ellie Krieger’s Baked Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta and Marcella Hazan’s Shrimp with Tomato and Chile Pepper

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 14.5 ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes with chiles (or diced tomatoes of choice)
• 1/4 cup parsley, minced
• 1/2 tsp ground dill
• 8 ounces shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/8 tsp salt (plus more, to taste)
• 1/8 tsp black pepper (plus more, to taste)
• 1 ounce cheese of choice (try feta or smoked mozzarella)
• Crusty bread or twirly noodle

Heat oil in an oven-safe skillet or mid-sized dutch oven over medium-high heat.  (If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet or dutch oven, simply use a regular skillet and transfer the mixture to an oven-safe casserole dish before baking).  Add onions, garlic, and 1/8 tsp each salt and pepper.  Cook onions until softened and slightly translucent, taking care not to burn the garlic.  Add the canned tomatoes and dill.  Season with S&P.  Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and let the tomatoes simmer for five minutes.  Stir in the parsley.  Taste the tomatoes, and season as needed.  Stir in the shrimp and sprinkle on your cheese of choice.  Bake at 425 degrees for 12 minutes, or until shrimp is cooked through and the cheese is melted.

Note:  If you are preparing this ahead for a later meal, refrigerate mixture after the tomatoes are complete.  When ready to serve, add  shrimp and cheese before baking.

Stats on 1/2 of shrimp and tomatoes (without bread/pasta):  277 calories, 18g carbs, 11g fat, 29g protein, 4g fiber