This is a dish I make often, especially for informal parties. It is delicious, easy, and pretty, and makes a great buffet item, especially when paired with all those other Mediterranean dishes I love to cook and eat, such as Eggplant Caviar and Black Olive Tapenade (p. 191), Artichoke Dolmades with Lemon Sauce (p. 20), and Simple Orzo Salad with Black Olives and Feta (p. 115). The tomato sauce is also a good base for moussaka or baked stuffed eggplant, or just tossed with noodles and some sharp Greek cheese, such as kasseri. The dish can be completed up to the final baking point and kept refrigerated for several hours or even overnight. Bring it to room temperature before baking, or it will overcook.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　1 tablespoon olive oil

　　24 shrimp (16-20 count, about 1 1/2 pounds total), peeled and deveined

　　1 tablespoon slivered garlic

　　1 teaspoon Herbsaint, Pernod, or ouzo, optional

　　1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions

　　Salt

　　Tomato Sauce

　　2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, torn in pieces

　　1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

　　

Tomato Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

　　1 onion, finely diced

　　1 fennel bulb, finely diced

　　1/2 teaspoon each dried oregano and dill, or 1 teaspoon each fresh

　　3 cups diced fresh tomatoes, or 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with their juice (for fresh, peel and seed before dicing)

　　Bouquet Garni (p. 145) made with 1 bay leaf, 1 bunch parsley stems, and a 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick

　　Salt

　　Crushed red pepper flakes

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and sauté until pink and just cooked through. Add the garlic and toss. Remove from the heat and sprinkle lightly with liqueur. Return the skillet to the heat, stir in the scallions, and cook for 30 more seconds. Season lightly with salt, then mix the shrimp with the tomato sauce, fold in the basil, and pour into a wide, shallow casserole dish or 4 individual (10-ounce) ovenproof dishes. Sprinkle with the feta cheese and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is slightly brown and casserole is nice and hot.

　　

Tomato Sauce

Step 2

Heat the olive oil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, then add the onion and fennel and cook for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Stir in the herbs and cook for 1 minute, then add the tomatoes, Bouquet Garni, and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper flakes, but go easy on the salt, as the feta will be salty too. Remove the sauce from the heat and set aside until ready to use. Remove the Bouquet Garni.

　　Cooks' Note

　　Serve with orzo pasta tossed with kalamata olives and/or artichoke hearts, plus crusty bread to sop up all the sauce. A cucumber-onion salad makes a good starter.

　　From Crescent City Cooking by Susan Spicer Copyright (c) 2007 by Susan Spicer Published by Knopf.Susan Spicer was born in Key West, Florida, and lived in Holland until the age of seven, when her family moved to New Orleans. She has lived there ever since, and is the owner of two restaurants, Bayona and Herbsaint. This is her first cookbook.Paula Disbrowe was the former Cowgirl Chef at Hart & Hind Fitness Ranch in Rio Frio, Texas. Prior to that, she spent ten years working as a food and travel writer. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Food & Wine, and Saveur, among other major publications.