roasted shrimp and orzo salad

when warm weather hits all of a sudden and all you've been eating are soul-warming stews and braises, what do you make? how about a cooling pasta salad chockful of bright, fresh herbs? light but filling, fresh but full of flavor, a well-made pasta salad can be the perfect meal for warm evenings like those that have settled in san francisco lately.

here's a very tasty and herby pasta salad made from roasted shrimp and orzo pasta. the recipe comes from ina garten's "barefoot contessa at home" cookbook. it's a lot of prep work, aka chopping and mincing, but once done is very easy to put together. and it yields several hearty servings.

i first prepared a 1/2 pound of orzo pasta to al dente according to package directions.

while that was going, i thinly chopped 3 scallions, chopped about a cup of italian parsley, and a cup of fresh dill, thicker stems removed.

i also chopped half a red onion and deseeded and chopped a hot house cucumber.

a pound of large tiger shrimp is deveined, peeled and blotted dry with a paper towel...

and tossed with some olive oil, salt and pepper. this then went into the oven to roast at 400 degrees for about 4 minutes until pink.

while the shrimp roasted, i prepared a vinaigrette for the pasta salad by combining a 1/2 cup of olive oil, the juice of 2 lemons and salt and pepper. after whisking to emulsify the ingredients, i tasted and adjusted for seasoning.

after the pasta reached al dente, i drained it and stirred in the vinaigrette...

added the vegetables and herbs, along with the roasted shrimp...

and folded in a 1/2 pound of feta cheese.

tasting for seasoning several times, i added a few dashes of tabasco to give it a slight vinegary kick. this then rested at room temperature for a 1/2 hour to blend the flavors.

plating the pasta salad with several tender shrimp and a sprig of fennel finishes off the dish.

this dish is light and healthy, but hearty enough to fill you up for dinner. the shrimp is tender. the lemon vinaigrette, tart. briny, creamy feta balances the bright and green dill and parsley. it's a great cool dish for a warm evening. welcome, spring!