Let's get two things straight before I go any further with this post:
1) I have a huge crush on Gordon Ramsay.
2) My husband, R, is not a chef. His idea of cooking is microwaving or putting food items on a plate...please understand I am not criticizing at all. He does a great job at those two things! But please keep this in mind as you read.
Moving on.
This week at my favorite HEB (and yes, I do have a favorite...no, they are not all the same) there were some beautiful Colossal Shrimp on sale that I just couldn't resist. We have been trying to eat a little healthier since the holidays, removing most of the red meat from our diet and increasing the amount of green veggies.
My dear friend Karen makes these fabulous Orzo Stuffed Peppers that are absolutely to die for and very healthy too. I decided to make the zucchini, tomato and orzo filling (with a few tweaks) and then grill up the shrimp to go on top. R had a really busy day - school, an engagement photo shoot and then a photo shoot he was in to promote ArtReach, so I wanted to have a good dinner ready for him when he got home.
Great plan. Too bad I commited two grievous culinary sins. It is for these sins that I must request Chef Ramsey's forgiveness.
1. After adding the freshly grated parmesan cheese, I (this is so embarrassing to admit)... without thinking, also stupidly tossed in some of that canned crap. You know what I'm talking about - the stuff Papa John's delivers in little packets. The stuff that tastes like plastic. It was a total out of body experience. I knew as soon as I started pouring that it was a bad idea. And it was. Changed the entire flavor of the dish, and not in a good way. There is not much you can do to atone for a sin like that.
2. Timewise dinner was behind where I wanted it to be and the orzo was not warming as quickly in the oven as I would have liked. The grill pan was hot and the shrimp were marinated and ready to go. I was stressing big time. It is right about this moment that R got home from his second job. He saw me pull the pan out of the oven and place it in the microwave. His one comment to me was, "*gasp* Gordon Ramsay would be so disappointed." And he was right. Although that is R's favorite method of cooking, even he realized its limits. How dare I become so impatient and taint our food with microwave rays (or whatever they are). Anyhow, that decision did not help the flavor (or texture) of the dish one bit.
All in all the dish turned out okay, but nowhere near what it should have been. Ugh. I hate it when that happens... almost as much as I hate making dumb decisions. I will be making this dish again, this time with much more patience.
photo by: R.
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