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Garidomakaronada With Ouzo and Fresh Tomato

Now isn’t this title a mouthful?

Garidomakaronada is a compound word in Greek meaning “pasta & shrimp”. Garides are shrimp, makaronia is general word, like pasta.

The bounty of fresh tomatoes is here and for this very short window of time, a tomato sauce can be made from fresh tomatoes and one can actually pull off a fabulously flavourful meal.

Like most of the great pasta dishes, the ingredients are few and the produce is at it’s peak. The ingredients are all used in Greek cookery and the last minute splash of Ouzo gives this dish the “je ne sais quoi”.

I’ve chosen some larger sized shrimp for their obvious presence in the dish and more & more I’m liking them with their heads on.

I know some people are going to get all “sucky-face” with me in the comments section but I now prefer shrimp with their heads on.

The heads (and shells) give the dish added flavour and when you tear the head off the the body, stick the open-end of the shrimp’s head into your mouth and suck the juices out. Try it, then tell you don’t like it.

Beyond peeling the shells and deveining the shrimp, this dish comes together in the time it takes for the water to boil to the pasta becoming “al dente”.

This dish is Greek, right down to the pasta choice, “Misko Makaronia Trypita no.5” or…bucantini. I chose this type of pasta as it’s hollow, which allows this aromotic, seafood tinged sauce to get right into the pasta.

Celebrate garden fresh tomatoes with this quick, easy Garidomakaronada.

Garidomakaronada With Ouzo and Fresh Tomato
(for 4)

1 pkge Miskos Trypita no.5 (500gr)
16 medium sized shrimp, heads on, body shelled & deveined
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, smashed
4 large, very ripe tomatoes, passed through a box grater
(skins discarded)
1 heaping Tbsp. of tomato paste
1 shot of Ouzo
1 tsp. of Boukovo (chili flakes)
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

  1. Place a large of water on the stove top to bowl. Add a good amount of salt and cook your pasta as per instructions.
  2. Season your shrimp with some salt & pepper and place a skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add your olive oil and quickly saute your shrimp. As soon as they turn pink, remove them with a slotted spoon and reserve.
  3. In the same skillet, lower the heat to medium and add the onions and garlic and then reduce to medium-low and saute for about 10 minutes to soften and become translucent. Now add the tomato paste and grated tomatoes and bring to a boil. Simmer until the most of the water from the tomatoes has cooked off and you’re left with a flavourful, thick sauce.
  4. Add the Ouzo, stir in and turn off the heat and keep warm until your pasta has been cooked.
  5. When the pasta is cooked, strain and add to the sauce along with the Boukovo (chili flakes) and your shrimp. Toss to coat the pasta and to allow the shrimp to finish cooking through (about 5 minutes).
  6. Add some chopped fresh parsley and plate hot along with lots of napkins and bowls for the discarded heads and shells.

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59 Responses

  1. I must have some Greek blood in my system… this dish looks like a Spanish classic to me too! I only need to find Miskos Trypita and some Ouzo here ;D

    I could eat two plates!!! MMmmmm

  2. So glad your back. I actually thought of you when making my Korean ribs, as I remembered yours from this summer. This new dish with shrimp and orzo looks so great.

  3. Leave it to those Greeks to come up with a compound word that means pasta & shrimp. We should have a word for that too.

    I don't know about those heads… but then again, I haven't tried it.

  4. Ouote: ‘People will get all ‘sucky-face’!!!…..Funny.
    It’s not fair though, I want some of that spaghetti with the hole in the middle!! Can’t get it here to save my life.
    Lovely dish as always Peter – I’ll only get a ‘sucky-face’ when you do anything with RABBIT!! Lol

  5. I just disovered bucantini noodles and I love them. This dish looks fantastic but I am not sure I can suck the juice from the heads – I guess I won’t know unless I try. Love the pictures.

  6. You might be a sucker for prawn heads but I’m a sucker for fat pasta!…great seasonal flavours and you certainly brought back memories of “makaronia misko”…remember those ads in Greek?

  7. This looks great, Peter! Mmm bucatini is the best! I hope I can try this while the tomatoes are still in season. So simple but the flavor is great, I’m sure.

  8. Your dishes all look amazing, and this is no exception. New to this whole food blogging bit and just getting my own blog started. Your shots are great, your food looks delicious and your presentation is impressive!

  9. I love head-on, and I love sucking out the juices, but if I am cooking for people who are squeamish, I save the heads and shells and freeze them, then make shrimp stock when I have enough. Shrimp heads make a much tastier stock than just shells alone.

    What a pretty meal! I love that long, tubular pasta!

  10. DELICIOUS. I love pasta with shrimps and adding ouzo to is just has to give a wonderful taste.
    Ofcourse i would love to have ouzo straight . When ever i have a cold i drink that a little, saying that it is realy healthy :-)

  11. I don’t like buccatini, they make a mess, they dont hold the sauce well, one has to make weird noises to eat. I’d rather have tagliatelle instead!

  12. I promise not to be *sucky-face* about the shrimp, cuz good eating is good eating! The dish looks fabulous and if I can find some decent tomatoes (harder and harder these days) I’ll give it a try.

  13. Funnily enough, I have some bucantini in the cupboard, some big shrimp in the freezer, and a bag of tomatoes in the fridge! Excepting the ouzo and the shrimp heads, I reckon I could make this as part of my purge – mmmmmmmm…!

  14. This dish looks delish! I love pasta dishes with fresh ingredients, a simple meal that takes no time to make filled with flavor. I will have to see if I can find bucantini at my local grocer.

  15. Marjie, I think you'll be ecstatic with the result.

    Kat, indeed!

    Ivy, on my way into Athens I passed by the Misko plant.

    Nuria, we all use similar ingredients in the Mediterranean.

    Parker, Korean BBQ rocks, eh?

    Lori, Greeks have a word for everythings…looking "sucky-face"! lol

    Jan, ask for bucatini and don't be a suckyface!

    Pam, indeed try…I never said do it the presence of company.

    Sylvie, napkin for the laptop?

    Judy, I know you'll all love it…I can see the "No Fear Familia" sucking shrimp heads 2gether! lol

    Jenn, I might make this again 2nite.

    Pete, of course I remember the Misko ads and I'm so glad the pasta is still available.

    Elly, good tomatoes can still be found.

    MAria, thanks for visiting, your most kind words and welcome to blogging. Feel free to email me for help/questions, k?

    Petemarcus..agreed…shrimp heads a re no-go if guests are dining with the family.

    Sylvie…indeed!

    Nina…straight up…shrimp heads.

    Kiwi…I love this makaronada!

    Rosa, me too!

    Happy, Ouzo should easily be found there.

    Johanna, that's all okay but you haven't told us if you suck the juices out of the shrimps' heads?

    Joanne, good to know…if Pete says it's delish…just say "si"!

    Kittie…how big is this cupboard & pantry of yours? You've been cleaning it out for ages! lol

    Ohiomom, Italian shops should have it.

    Dharm, it was, it is!

  16. Give me a view of the Agean Sea, a waiter that looks like a Greek God who attends my every whim and serves up Ouzo on the side and I’ll suck the juices from the head of a shrimp Peter:D

  17. I’ve been lurking forever but I couldn’t resist commenting on this recipe. I love it! It’s one of my favorites. The best serving that I ever had was in Ouranopoli…brings back memories. Now I have to go buy some buccatini.
    :)

  18. When I was in Norway I learned the true definition of ‘popcorn shrimp’ whole, small shrimp… eaten, heads, tails, shells and all, out of a bag while strolling around the piers….
    At least they were cooked…
    They’re eaten the same way in Spain.

  19. I love the combination of shrimp with pasta. This is no fair: I’m just getting way too hungry now and this looks too good.

    We made the prawns with the feta the other day, based on your recipe here. It was delish! Will be blogging about it — soonish, I hope.

  20. Peter where do you get that pasta from?? I brought back LOTS of a similar pasta with me from Italy, but now I’m down to my last pack and I don’t want to see it go :-\
    Also I’m fascinated as to how intermingled food, flavors and names are around the Mediterranean. Núria commented how similar the flavors of this pasta are to Spanish food and it also happens that the name for pasta in Arabic is pronounced makaruna : )

  21. Dear Peter maybe you are so busy after holidays but I want tell you I post my artichoke’s recipe!!! xxxxGloria
    I really admire you answer all the people, not all make this dear!! you are so nice!! xxGloria

  22. A simple and quick seafood pasta fix! Good stuff. Though I prefer to remove the shells and heads myself as I don’t want to pick through my pasta with my fingers, it’s different strokes for different folks when it comes to preparing such dishes. Thanks for sharing!

  23. Looks so amazing – I may take off the heads as I have a thing about my food staring back at me!! I would top it off with fresh Feta and dig in!

  24. wtf, did you post three times in two days? Making up for lost time, are we?

    This dish makes so much sense – I put a little fennel seed in my shrimp stock (Pernod is good too), and with the chili and parsley, this is really a great marriage of flavors.

  25. Love it! We visited New Orleans a while back and the waiter instructed us to “suck da heads” of the crayfish. Great choice using the bucatini, this looks like a lovely bold dish Peter. Oh, and I am going to take your advice and use a box grater for my tomatoes, never did it that way before.

  26. Val, good to know you’re not sheepish about such things.

    Cheryl, Ouranoupouli is a gorgeous area and sadly it’s in the news for other reasons.

    Gracias gloria.

    Katie, I’ll be happy just suckin’ the juices.

    JS, wonderful news, I hope to read it soon.

    Varieties, Ouzo is a greek spirit that tastes like licorice/anise.

    Cynthia, AMEN!

    Noob, now you’re gettin it!

    Antonio, search for Misko brand online…lots of sources.

    Gloria, thanks…I do my best.

    Jan, thank you again, hun.

    Sylvia, pasta for breakfast…why not?

    Sam, the shells around the body have been removed. Simply pull the head off and suck the juices or get “Jeeves” to do it for ya! lol

    Rosie, thx.

    Cathy, they aren’t staring – they are saying “eat me”!

    Heathz, you flunked math, just 1 a day.

    Lori Lynn, yes! Crayfish are eaten this say way…yum!

  27. This looks great! Speaking of math, my only suggestion would be that if you want to serve 4 people, unless they’re math-challenged, I would use 16 shrimp. :-)

  28. i’ve just been catching up on your posting. my god, peter – the food is amazing. truly wonderful..

    i wish you lived here, i’d be your taster – every night!!!

    1. Gina…1) there is a print option further down the recipe. 2)I am providing free content. 3) The recipe will also be in my cookbook to be released this November.

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