Tuesday, January 09, 2007

On the Side : Creamy Orzo

This little side dish has become a quick favorite of mine. It's kind of like mac and cheese goes out on the town. Orzo is a tiny, rice shaped pasta. You can find it right near the ABC shaped noodles. It tastes great zapped in the microwave the next day (unlike mac and cheese) and Caleb likes it a lot!

You can substitute the shallot with a small onion, but I wouldn't recommend it. The shallot add a specific flavor that I think make the dish.

Creamy Orzo*

1/2 pound orzo
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium shallot, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
half of a 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes (juiced drained)
3/4 c. whipping cream
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
salt
pepper

Cook orzo to al dente, stirring often (about 8 minutes). Drain, reserve 1/2 cup of the liquid.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Saute shallot and garlic, 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, cooke 8 minutes. Stir in cream and peas. Add drained orzo and toss to coat. Remove from heat, stir in Parmesan. Stir, if it's too thick add some pasta liquid. Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

*Giada De Laurentiis, Food Network (I halved the recipe, this version makes about 5 or 6 side servings.)

1 comment:

Unknown said...

So I've never bought a shallot in my life until last night. I tried the creamy orzo tonight and all I can say is... IT IS WONDERFUL!!!