Orzo Pasta
I love orzo pasta and I remember so clearly when I first cooked with it , I was 16 and in Ireland at the inspirational Ballymaloe Cooking School. If you don't already use it as an ingredient in your weekly cooking, it’s definitely worth trying, as it is so easy to cook. It is a type of pasta shaped like a super sized grain of rice, cooking the orzo in stock, helps it to absorb lots of flavour.
I cook different versions of this recipe, depending on what ingredients I have to hand. Here I am sharing the master recipe I use, as well as two versions we love to eat as a family. You can of course adapt this recipe as you like.
ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely diced
1 small garlic clove, peeled and whole
300g orzo pasta
800ml homemade chicken, or vegetable stock, or 1litre no salt stock, warmed through in a pan until hot
method
In a pot add the olive oil and diced onion and gently sauté for 5-8mins, until translucent and soft. Add the crushed garlic and cook for 1-2 mins, stirring (so the garlic doesn’t burn). Add the orzo pasta and stir through the oil, onion, garlic mix: then add the hot stock. Simmer gently for 12-15 minutes, stirring towards the end of cooking time to stop the orzo catching. The orzo should absorb all the stock, like a risotto, and be cooked through. You can add more stock or water, if needed.
Orzo with Peas and Mint
Add 150g frozen peas for the last 2-3 mins of cooking and remove from the heat. To finish add 1 tablespoon of fresh mint, finely shredded.
Orzo with Roasted Butternut Squash and Thyme
Add 200g oven roasted butternut squash. Peel and cube the butternut squash: toss in 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves. Roast in the oven at 180C fan oven, for 20-25 mins until tender.