Our nephew (make that great, great nephew) and I prepared dinner that included roasted chicken, Ratatouille (our his request) and finished out the menu with our verion of Herbed Orzo Risotto. He gave dinner a double thumbs up!
Orzo Risotto 4 to 8 serving Grain-shaped orzo pasta is cooked like risotto to create a creamy side dish.
Ingredients: Serves 4: Serves 8:
Olive oil 3 tablespoons 6 tablespoons
Orzo (grain-shaped pasta) 1 cup 2 cups
Boiling chicken stock or broth – 3 cups 6 cups
more or less as needed, or swap about ½ cup white wine for /1/2 cup broth
Coarse kosher salt (if chicken stock concentrate is used to make broth,
you may need to omit or just salt to taste)
Italian parsley, chopped, if desired 3 tablespoons 6 tablespoons
Parmesan cheese, if desired
1. Heat olive oil in heavy, large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.
2. Add orzo and sauté 5 minutes. Add about 2 cups of the boiling chicken stock and salt. Simmer uncovered until most of liquid is absorbed, add 2 more cups of stock; continue process until orzo is tender, liquid is absorbed, and risotto is creamy—about 18 minutes; stir often.
3. Remove from heat. Mix in fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese if desired.
Variations:
q Add a couple of cloves of minced garlic along with the onions.
q Add sliced mushroom and sauté along with the onions.
q Add veggies such as asparagus, diced and cooked butternut squash, etc.
Make Ahead Option: Orzo may be made ahead and held in a slow cooker set on low. Or make it right before guests arrive; turn off heat. Reheat, adding additional stock, right before ready to serve.
Aiden & Aunt Meta’s version – In step #1, omit the onions and instead add a tablespoon or two of freshly chopped herbs (we used thyme leaves, basil, oregano and parsley) to infuse the oil with flavor/ We served the Parmesan on the side.
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