Cooking Therapy: Shrimp with Fennel and Breadcrumbs

When my mom comes home from Africa, we have a system.  First things first, we eat Mexican food and catch up.  Next, we go to Central Market and Canino's and load up on everything that looks good and she doesn't have access to in Angola.  Then we cook, cook, cook.  And drink wine.  It's cooking therapy for two. 

We ended up with tons of fennel, some great-looking fresh shrimp, and some wine that we didn't love for drinking, so we adapted the Barefoot Contessa's Roasted Shrimp with Fennel to make the amazing concoction below.  It was a welcome home for both of us, even though I'd only been in Chicago.  

Shrimp with Fennel

Serves four for a happy homecoming

4 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 c. diced yellow onion
1 1/2 c. diced fennel
1/4 c. dry white wine
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 tsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. fresh oregano, minced
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. fresh peeled and deveined Gulf shrimp, heads off and tails on (even though I accidentally forgot and removed them in the photo)
5 oz. block of feta cheese

1 c. fresh breadcrumbs (I'm serious about fresh, please do not buy breadcrumbs)

2 lemons, 1 zested to yield 1 tbsp. lemon zest

Fresh parsley and oregano for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large, heavy and ovenproof skillet over medium low heat. Add the onion and fennel and saute for 8-10 minutes, until tender. Add the wine and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the tomatoes with the liquid, tomato paste, oregano, salt, and pepper to the skillet. Simmer over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes.

Arrange the shrimp, tails up, in one layer over the tomato-mixture in the skillet. Scatter the feta evenly over the shrimp. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, parsley, and lemon zest with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle over the shrimp.

Bake for 15 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked and the bread crumbs are golden brown. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the shrimp. Serve hot with the remaining lemon cut into wedges.