I am getting my pasta in early this week! I wanted something easy yet satisfying for Presto Pasta Night, and no pasta is as easy as orzo*! It is a dainty rice-shaped pasta that cooks up super-fast - which is just what you need when you want dinner in a hurry!
Except, making a risotto out of it sortof ruins the point, right? Don't you worry, the risotto-stirring lasts mere moments (15 minutes), which isn't long enough to get annoyed by it. In its favor, the orzo is sauteed in the sausage drippings - and who doesn't like sausage fat?
You wouldn't believe how creamy the orzo was! Yes, yes, I know there are 6 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese mixed in... but before I added the cheese, the pasta was already nicely creamy - I was so excited!
You can't really see the artichokes in the photo above because they were mostly the same shade as the pasta, but I promise they're in there. I used extra peas, too, because I love them. This pasta was thick and creamy and such a wonderful comforting dinner. As happy as I am to welcome Spring, I'm more than a little sad that dinners like these won't be around again for a while.
* At least to me!
Orzo Risotto with Sausage and Artichokes
c/o Food and Wine Magazine, March 2008
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/orzo-risotto-with-sausage-and-artichokes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 large white onion, thinly sliced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 cups orzo (10 ounces)
2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup marinated artichokes, drained and quartered
1 cup frozen baby peas
3 tablespoons snipped chives
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
In a deep, 10-inch skillet, heat the oil. Add the sausage and cook over high heat, pressing to flatten, until cooked through, 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate, leaving the fat in the pan. Break the sausage into bite-size pieces. Add the onion and garlic to the skillet. Cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 minutes. Add the orzo and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the stock and 2 cups of water and cook, stirring constantly, until the orzo is al dente and suspended in a thick creamy broth, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the sausage, artichokes, peas, chives and cheese to the orzo. Cook, stirring, until the peas are heated through and the cheese is melted, about 4 minutes. Serve the orzo risotto in bowls, passing extra cheese at the table.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Orzo Risotto with Sausage and Artichokes
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Orzo with Chicken, Corn, and Green Beans
This meal might not look like much, but it was soooooo yummy. And amusing. Why? Because it says it serves 4. Make it as made, and you'll end up with a large bucket of the stuff... so... while it may feed four, it serves them more than once. Dave and I had tons of it, and then we each had it for lunch the next day, and then I think we had it again for dinner...I almost think of it as being akin lemonade... we could make a batch of this, and then set up a stand on the side of the road... Pasta with Chicken and Veg, $1!!! We'd be rich. RICH!
Psst! Head on over to Ruth's Once Upon a Feast for more tasty pasta dishes!! She has a terrific weekly roundup of everything pasta - which is just what you need in this cold cold weather!
Orzo with Chicken, Corn and Green Beans
Everyday Food Magazine, May 2005
http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.fc77a0dbc44dd1611e3bf410b5900aa0/?vgnextoid=ce9ecf06cd80f010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&autonomy_kw=orzo%20with%20chicken%20corn%20and%20green%20beans&rsc=ns2006_m1
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 pound orzo
8 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 whole roasted chicken, (3 pounds), skin discarded, shredded (about 3 1/2 cups)
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook orzo until al dente, according to package instructions; add green beans during last 6 minutes of cooking. Drain; rinse under cold water until cooled.
Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic; cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add corn and 1 teaspoon salt; cook until warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes.
Toss pasta and green beans with corn mixture and chicken. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Serves 4.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Crispy Salmon with Mushroom Orzo and Red Wine Sauce
Today was my first day at the new job, so we had leftovers! Yay leftovers!
Let me tell you about our tasty dinner last night, and by default, our yummy leftovers! We'd watched this particular episode (Newport, Rhode Island) of Giada's Weekend Getaway on the Food Network last week, and made a note to print out this recipe. While I don't remember much else from the episode other than the wee little cars, I do remember this crispy salmon! :)
The red wine sauce nicely compliments the meaty fish, and the pasta came out nice and creamy (which is odd, considering the small amount of actual cream - I blame the butter!). You'll notice that the pasta we had isn't orzo, but mini-bowtie. For some reason, my Wegmans doesn't carry orzo (weird, right?), so I looked for another small-ish pasta. Mini-bowtie might not have been ideal, but they are wicked cute. And the little bows held the sauce quite nicely!
Worth noting: This makes a TON of pasta. Either make it for company or be prepared for leftovers. Also, this also creates a TON of dirty saucepans. If you have a designated dishwashing-husband, like me, this might not be so bad.
Crispy Salmon with Mushroom Orzo and Red Wine Sauce
From Asterisk Restaurant, in Newport, R.I.
C/o Giada’s Weekend Getaway on Food Network
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_36483,00.html
7 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 large onion, sliced
2 cups dry red wine
2 cups canned beef broth
8 fresh thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
1 pound orzo
6 shallots, minced
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
5 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 (5-ounce) skinless boneless salmon fillets
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute for 5 minutes. Add wine, beef broth, thyme and 1bay leaf. Boil until liquid is reduced by 1 cup, about 35 minutes. Strain sauce into a small saucepan.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place orzo on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, for about 20 minutes.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in another heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots. Saute for 4 minutes. Add mushrooms. Saute until golden, about 10 minutes. Add orzo, chicken broth, and 1 bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook uncovered until orzo is tender and broth is absorbed, while stirring often, about 20 minutes. Add cream and tarragon. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a heavy large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper. Add to skillet and saute just until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.
Bring sauce to simmer. Add butter, whisk just until melted. Season with pepper. Spoon orzo onto 6 plates. Place salmon fillets on top of orzo. Serve with sauce.
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