Orzo isn't rice—though it
looks like it! It's a short-cut pasta made from durum wheat, commonly
used in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes like pilafs, soups, and salads.
Its name comes from the Italian word for “barley,” due to its shape, and it’s
prized for its ability to absorb flavors while maintaining a tender
bite.
Ingredients
1 cup Orzo uncooked
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Butter
1 Small Sweet Onion finely diced
Pinch Salt
Pinch Pepper
2 Cloves Garlic pressed or finely
minced
3 Tbsp Flour
1 ¾ cups Chicken Stock
½ cup Heavy Cream or half and
half
2 cups Parmesan/Romano Cheese
grated or shredded, and divided
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese shredded
1 Tbsp Green Onion chopped, for
garnish
Instructions
Cook the orzo in salted water
according to package directions, usually 9 minutes, until al dente. Drain.
While pasta water is heating up
you can begin the sauce.
Heat a frying pan to medium heat.
Add olive oil and butter. Add the
onion and stir.
Add salt & pepper. Cook until
tender and translucent, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic.
Whisk in the flour and cook for a
couple of minutes, stirring constantly. This will make a paste.
Very slowly at first, start
pouring in some of the chicken stock, while whisking constantly. Gradually add
the entire 2 cups. This helps prevent lumps from forming. Using a flat whisk
helps a lot!
Increase heat to Medium High,
while still whisking constantly. Don’t let it stick to the bottom! Mixture will
thicken as it gets hotter and starts to simmer.
Cook until it gets about as thick
as a loose gravy (it won’t be really thick).
Whisk in the half and half or
Heavy Cream, which ever you choose.
Turn off the burner and move the
pan off the heat.
Taste and adjust seasoning to
taste. Remember, the parmesan/Romano you'll be adding is a bit salty, so keep
that in mind!
Stir in 1 cup of the parmesan/Romano
cheese.
Pour the cooked & drained
orzo into the sauce and stir until incorporated.
Transfer to a sprayed 8” x 8”
baking dish.
Mix the remaining 1/2 cup of
parmesan/Romano cheese and the 1 cup of mozzarella cheese together and sprinkle
over the orzo mixture. Cover the entire surface.
Bake, uncovered, in a 375-degree
oven for 30 minutes, or until browned and bubbly.
Garnish with chopped green onion.
Note: this side dish is great when served with a rotisserie chicken, or chicken parmesan or any other type of meat dish.
Elizabeth Kilbride is a Writer
and Editor with forty years of experience in writing, with 12 of those years in
the online content sphere. Author of 5 books and a Graduate with an Associate
of Arts degree in Business Management, a bachelor’s in mass communication and
cyber-Analysis, a master’s in criminology with emphasis on Cybercrime and
Identity Theft and is currently studying for her Ph.D. degree in Criminology.
Her work portfolio includes coverage of politics, current affairs, elections,
history, and true crime. Elizabeth is also a gourmet cook, life coach, and avid
artist in her spare time, proficient in watercolor, acrylic, oil, pen and ink,
gouache, and pastels. As a political operative who has worked on over 300
campaigns during her career, Elizabeth has turned many life events into books
and movie scripts while using history to weave interesting storylines. She also
runs 7 blogs ranging from art to life coaching, food, writing, Gardening, and
opinion or history pieces each week.
Greek Cuisine, Mediterranean, Kilbride, Potpourri of Frugality, Homemade, Do it
yourself
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