The divas are big fans of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, this year Sept. 27-Nov. 11 at Disney World. The most fun is to show up just as World Showcase opens at 11 a.m., then stroll and nosh your way around the lagoon – play hooky on a weekday, that’s when crowds are lightest. You can taste little bites at more than 25 marketplaces with food from Scotland to Singapore, Brazil to Belgium. (There’s wine, beer and cocktails too if you wish to indulge.)

Here’s a super-easy recipe from the Australia marketplace for the 2013 line-up, and we love it because you can use wild Florida shrimp, plus sun-dried tomatoes and garlic give it extra oomph. Add a little pasta or rice, and you’ve got dinner.  The Disney wine guys recommend pairing with a French Bordeaux Blanc, but any cool white will do.   

Continue on to recipe…

Garlic Shrimp

Serves 8 

• 24 medium shrimp (16/20), peeled and deveined
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tablespoon chili powder
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons oil from sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped 
• 3/4 pound broccoli rabe, cut into thirds
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon

1. Season shrimp with salt, pepper, and chili powder.
2. Heat olive oil and sun-dried tomato oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. 
3. Add shrimp and cook for about 2 minutes, tossing once or twice. Add garlic, tomatoes, and broccoli rabe; cook another 2 to 3 minutes, tossing once or twice.
4. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and zest. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Diva confession: Broccoli rabe isn’t the same veggie as broccoli. Related to both the cabbage and turnip family with skinny stalks and scattered clusters of tiny, broccoli-like buds, it packs a nutritious punch. It has a bitter edge, similar to mustard greens. Look for crisp, green leaves that are upright and not wilted – if it smells “cabbage-y,” you know it’s past its prime. 

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