Wednesday Recipes--Shrimp-and-Feta Pasta Salad

Summer is officially over. For me, it's not Labor Day, but Fall Break that marks the season. It's too warm in South Carolina to wear fall clothes or even leave behind summer foods. So, this is the last summer salad. Until next year!

Shrimp-and-Feta Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for salting water

1 cup uncooked orzo

1 large shallot, finely chopped about 1/4 cup

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup drained and chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish

2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (I didn't have any so substituted white wine vinegar)

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

1 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon grated garlic (from 2 cloves) *I didn't grate--how difficult would that be--I just minced

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 pound jumbo peeled and deveined cooked shrimp, tails removed

1 (8 ounce) block feta cheese, cut into 1./2 inch cubes

1 cup sliced English cucumber, cut into half moons *I used a regular old cucumber

Directions:

1. Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil over high. Add orzo; stir once, and cook according to package directions. Drain orzo; rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process, about 1 minute.

2. While orzo cooks, whisk together shallot, oil, sun-dried tomatoes, dill, vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garlic, kosher salt, and pepper in a large bowl until combined.

3. Add cooked orzo, shrimp, feta, and cucumber to sun-dried tomato mixture in large bowl; toss to combine. garnish with additional dill.

4. I prefer the flavor after the mixture has been chilled for a bit.

5. Summer!

Note: This comes from Southern Living magazine, August 2024, and yes, I subscribe!