I'm not sure whoever thought up toasting pasta before you cook it, but I think they are pretty darn smart. Toasting it gives it a nutty and complex flavor that you would never get by just boiling it.
Think of this dish almost like a risotto, creamy and flavorful, the perfect side side, or even a main dish when served with a salad. I served this with a grilled Souvlaki and veggie skewers, simple outdoor stuff for someone else to help you with while you are a whipping this up indoors.
But, hey... Bobbie Flay uses his saute pans on the grill, I bet this would work outside too. If the weather ever gets nice in Seattle.... maybe I will try it (sigh).
When, oh when, is Summer going to start? I heard on the news this morning that we have exactly 78 minutes of temperatures over 80 degrees... 78 minutes? Crazy. If you live here, you know the temperature was probably 81, I think I would have remembered something as nice as 82 degrees.
Serves about 6
Ingredients
8 oz. package of orzo pasta, divided into 2 equal portions
1 sm onion, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 cups broth (chicken, or vegetable)
2-3 cups water
1/2 cup white wine (something dry and unoaked)
1 tsp garlic, fresh minced or garlic powder
1/2 cup cheese (or more) - Parmesan, Feta, Asiago, whatever you like
1/3 cup parsley, minced
2 Tbsp butter, cold and cubed
Assemble all the ingredients by the stove.
In a large skillet, or saute pan with at least 2 in sides, add the olive oil and saute the onion over medium high heat. After abot 2-3 minutes as the onion begins to soften, add HALF the orzo and saute until it starts to take on some color. Watch your heat, you dont want it to burn, but you do want it to get 3-4 shades darker than it was before you started cooking.
Add about 3/4 cup of chicken stock, the wine and the 'raw' (untoasted) orzo. Stir until the liquid is combined. Add more chicken stock and repeat. After all the chicken stock is gone, start with the water, BUT, you may not need all the water. This whole process should take about 20-25 minutes. You can taste the orzo to determine how much more cooking it will take to get it tender enough to eat. The toasted ones that slightly longer to cook than the untoasted orzo. Keep stirring and adding water until you are happy with the consistency.
Add the cheese and stir to mix in and melt. Add seasoning adding salt and fresh pepper to taste. Last, add the cold butter and the parsley and stir. The cold butter adds a creaminess to the final dish.
Leftovers are good reheated, but you could also toss in some leftover meat and some fresh chopped veggies to have a pretty wonderful pasta salad... just sayin'.
Here's another pasta ideas that I like, and you might too!
Pasta with Green Pea, Bacon and Parmesan Sauce
I almost didn't post this recipe, because I really thought I needed to do it again and make some changes. But, after thinking about how yummy it was, and what I would do differently next time, I decided to write it up with my NEW suggestions anyways... gosh, I hope you are OK with that!!!
My main complaint with this dish was that the bacon wasn't crispy enough, and HEY, I have ideas to fix that before you make yours. I was being a bit lazy... yep, I will admit to it. I didn't want to take the extra time, or dirty another pan. If I had only pre-cooked the bacon, at least partially, I would have had the best of all worlds, succulent spicy chicken kebabs and crispy, salty bacon-y flavor all around the meat!
Now, some of you are saying, "Hey, that bacon looks pretty good to me, maybe I will just be lazy do it without precooking the bacon too".
Don't do it!
That picture is deceiving and the bacon is mostly limp and and not as nice as if it had been precooked. C'mon, just do it the way I'm telling you, not the way I did it ...
4 chicken breasts, cut into large cubes
1/2 lb bacon, slices cut in half
1 Tbsp pepper, or more to your liking
1/4 cup of coarse grain mustard
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
Cut up the chicken into large chunks, about 1" to 1 1/2 " size. Marinate in the mustard, olive oil, salt and lots of pepper. I probably used 2 Tbsp, because I really like pepper! Let marinate for 30-60 minutes, or even longer.
While your chicken in marinating, soak some bamboo skewers in some water. This really does keep them from burning on the grill. I usually stand the skewers in a large glass of water and flip them over a couple of times to wet both ends. It's easier to wash one glass than soaking your skewers in a large baking pan that the skewers fit into lying down.... yep, I am worrying about you and doing more dishes than you have to. Aren't I nice?
Partially cook your bacon pieces on a baking sheet in a hot oven for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool.
*Note- I cut my pieces in half, and used 1/2 piece on every skewer.... but a whole piece on each skewer would be terrific, of course!
I threaded the bacon around the chicken as I put each one on. Bacon kind of stretches and you should be able to have it touching about 3-4 chunks.
Cook over a medium hot grill for about 10 minutes per side, but keep your eye on these and make sure they don't burn, but the chicken gets cooked through. Since the chicken chunks are big, and are closely packed onto the skewer, it does take a bit longer than you think.
Here's the finished platter of kebabs. We had tons of leftovers from this dinner, but we happily ate them in a variety of different ways, like on a green salad, chopped up and rolled in a tortilla with some salad and thrown into pasta.
