So Many Dishes

We had a wonderful Valentines Day at home this year, with no drama. We don’t usually go out on the actual holiday. Often, we’ll have a celebratory lunch out a day or two before or after. This year is no different; we plan to go to the botanical garden tomorrow morning, and then have lunch out.

We’ve gone out to eat on Valentines Day, but it tends to be not nearly as much fun as another day. Restaurants are more crowded, and service suffers. I remember the year when the restaurant we had chosen claimed not to have a record of the reservation I had made. We got a table mainly because the owner recognized us, but the table was right by the door, so people who were coming in and waiting for a table were standing right next to us. I think that’s the year we decided that we weren’t ever going out on the holiday again.

But cooking at home hasn’t always been drama-free, either. I always try to plan something special. I can’t remember what the pasta dish was that I was cooking in 2012, but I managed to pour scalding water on my arm as I tried to drain the pasta. I cried my way through dinner while trying to ice my arm.

Two years later, I couldn’t really cook because my other arm was encased in bandages after a cat bite became infected. I think Ken cooked. I remember being more worried about the hand surgeon’s prediction that I might need to be hospitalized (fortunately, that didn’t happen).

Last year, Ken had just started therapy and was still experiencing intense pain. We barely acknowledged the fat. So it’s been great to actually celebrate. And we planned a special dinner.

We settled on the dish often called shrimp saganaki for our dinner. This dish is known in our family as Greek shrimp, and it’s a recipe I’ve been making for over 30 years. In fact, when we lived in Prague in 1993, I adapted it to use the frozen scallops that I found in the market there and to cook on the stovetop, since I was loathe to try to use the oven. To accompany the shrimp, I put together a horiatiki salad, sometimes called Greek country salad.

Shrimp saganaki, also often called baked shrimp with tomatoes and feta, is a classic Greek dish, often served as an appetizer. I’ve adapted the recipe I first used, from Tess Mallos’ The Complete Middle East Cookbook, as I’ve tasted other versions of the dish. When I cook it now, I open the cookbook on the counter, but I’m not sure why. I don’t really refer to it. And although I’m giving precise amounts here, they are mostly approximations. This is really a “do what tastes good to you” guideline.

Greek Shrimp Saganaki

• 1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes (fire roasted preferably), undrained
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup feta, crumbled

Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Add the tomatoes and their liquid, tomato paste, wine, oregano, and most of the parsley. Stir, then cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 500 degrees. Spread half of the tomato sauce over the bottom of a shallow baking dish. (I use my old Corning square dish, about 9 inches square). Place the shrimp atop the sauce in a single layer, then spoon the remaining sauce over the shrimp. Sprinkle the crumbled feta over the top. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, just until the shrimp are cooked. Serves 3 as an entree, 4 to 6 as an appetizer. Serve with crusty bread.

Happy eating!