For the longest time I thought Orzo was some sort of bizarre hybrid of rice and pasta. Come to find out, it is actually just pasta! Very little pasta in fact.
In the last year or so, I have been playing around with various Orzo dishes and introducing them to my friends, which I would say 75% had no idea what it was. "Marge, is this rice or pasta?"
It cooks just like pasta (in boiling water with sea salt and olive oil) but a little quicker and much better when served al dente. And, you can pretty much put anything you like in an Orzo dish. You can serve it hot like pasta, which I do sometimes with a red sauce and freshly grated cheese. Or, you can serve more like a salad - here are my favorite combos:
Greek Orzo - Greek olives, tomatos, red onions, peppers, feta cheese, cucumbers tossed in some balsamic vinegrette.
Shrimp Orzo - Shrimp, cherry tomatos, fresh herbs like dill, basil and parsley, with a lemon vinegrette
Pesto Orzo - Roasted chicken, freshly grated cheese, pesto sauce
Broccoli Orzo - Sauted broccoli, raisens, toasted pine nuts and blue cheese - no need for a sauce; just toss in s&p and some oilve oil and the blue cheese will melt right in!
The Food Network has lots of other great Orzo recipe ideas at http://search.foodnetwork.com/food/recipe/orzo/search.do?searchString=orzo&site=food&searchType=Recipe
This is a wonderful side dish for any occasion and season, and definitely a cupboard must-have.
No comments:
Post a Comment