Lemon Pepper Shrimp Scampi with Green Beans

When I am meal planning, I always ask my husband if he has any requests. Typically, his response will be "I want some kind of shrimp." Some of those real home chefs might think this empty palette a wonderful thing. I am not a real home chef. I'm just someone trying to cook some "slop," as my mom always used to say. He's a "finicky," shall we say, kind of guy, so I get frustrated sometimes.

This meal was a success.

I found it in my Google Reader, and was pleased to see I had everything necessary to make... all the shrimp recipes in my magazines called for fish sauce or clam broth... what's up with that? I found it on the Sweet Savory Southern blog, which has all kinds of tasty treats. You can find the recipe here.

I did things a little differently... Obviously, I used spaghetti (whole grain!) instead of orzo. But, I also used olive oil instead of all that butter. I heated the oil and added the garlic (way more than a teaspoonful). I got it fragrant, and then added the shrimp, which I had seasoned with both salt and pepper. I cooked it all the way, then added the lemon juice and some more pepper. This seemed to cut down on steps, which made sense to me.

I also served what has quickly become my signature side dish. It's my take on ATK braised green beans. I heated some olive oil, and added some diced onion. I added some chicken stock and green beans, and simmered until the beans were soft (I think I did 10 minutes?), and added some Craisins into the mix about halfway (I usually add them at the beginning, but forgot)... stirred a few times while simmering.

We both enjoyed the meal as a whole, and even got The Boy to eat some pasta and some beans.

Lemon Pepper Shrimp Scampi

• 1  cup  uncooked orzo (obviously I subbed spaghetti)
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt, divided
• 7  teaspoons  unsalted butter, divided
• 1 1/2  pounds  peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp
• 2  teaspoons  bottled minced garlic (I used fresh)
• 2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper

1. Cook orzo according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain. Place orzo in a medium bowl. Stir in parsley and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cover and keep warm.
2. While orzo cooks, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle shrimp with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add half of shrimp to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until almost done. Transfer shrimp to a plate. Melt 1 teaspoon butter in pan. Add remaining shrimp to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until almost done. Transfer to plate.
3. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in pan. Add garlic to pan; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in shrimp, juice, and pepper; cook 1 minute or until shrimp are done.