topic Re: Looking for an orzo side dish… anyone? in Recipes

Looking for an orzo side dish… anyone?

house_cat — Sat, 05 Jul 2014 23:43:25 GMT

Dad's latest diet restriction is potatoes, so I'm looking for a starchy side that's not potatoes. Does anyone have a good orzo recipe?

Re: Looking for an orzo side dish… anyone?

simplyfriends — Sun, 06 Jul 2014 02:05:49 GMT

PARMESAN ORZO WITH ASPARAGUS 1/2 LB. ORZO PASTA 1 BUNCH ASPARAGAS - ABOUT 8 ZEST OF 1 LEMON 1/2 CUP SHREDDED PARMESAN 1/4 CUP PASTA WATER 2 CLOVES GARLIC PRESSED 4 TBS OLIVE OIL, DIVIDED SALT & PEPPER. COOK THE ORZO - 9 MINUTES CHOP THE ASPARAGUS INTO 2 INCH PIECES HEAT 2 T OLIVE OIL IN LARGE SKILLET - ADD ASPARAGUS AND COOK FOR ABOUT 8 MINUTES SEASON WITH SALT & PEPPER SHRED THE PARM, ZEST THE LEMON AND PUT THE GARLIC THRU A PRESS DRAIN COOKED PASTA AND RETURN TO POT. ADD RESERVED PASTA WATER TO THE POT WITH ASPARAGUS, PARM, REMAINING OLIVE OIL AND LEMON ZEST. STIR AND SEASON WITH MORE SALT IF NECESSARY. HOPE YOU LIKE IT!!

Re: Looking for an orzo side dish… anyone?

simplyfriends — Sun, 06 Jul 2014 02:12:38 GMT

Sorry for the format of the recipe above....I typed it like a recipe using my iPad

Re: Looking for an orzo side dish… anyone?

house_cat — Sun, 06 Jul 2014 03:55:19 GMT

Thank you. I found one very similar that calls for spinach rather than asparagus. Both sound yummy.

Re: Looking for an orzo side dish… anyone?

DiAnne — Sun, 06 Jul 2014 04:48:44 GMT

EVERYDAY ORZO

4 T butter
1 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 cups chicken stock
2 cups orzo pasta
1/2 cup Gruyere cheese
2 T chives, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in large skillet over med-low heat. Add onions and cook until soft. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes more.

Meanwhile in a medium saucepan heat chicken stock to boiling.

Add orzo to onion and garlic ion skillet. Stir in hot chicken stock, bring to boil, cover and remove from heat. Let stand without removing cover about 25 minutes. Stir in cheese until melted. Add chives and season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Serves 4 to 6.

Re: Looking for an orzo side dish… anyone?

DiamondGirly — Sun, 06 Jul 2014 11:12:27 GMT

Here's a recipe that's a complete meal, not really a side, but I thought I'd share... Our wonderful Carol1229 posted a while back. I miss her!!! Her recipes are the best!!

Carol1229 said:

Every so often, I come across a recipe that jumps out and screams MAKE ME NOW....this recipe is one of them. The photo I saw of it in Cook's Country magazine made me anxious to try it.

Browning the orzo gave it a golden color that almost made it look like rice pilaf. I couldn't pick up a difference in the taste of it in the finished dish, so I'm not quite sure if this step is necessary. I did take the cover off the pan for a few minutes at the end of the cooking time to let some of the excess juice evaporate to allow the sauce to thicken slightly.

SKILLET ITALIAN CHICKEN WITH ORZO Carol1229
(Source: Cook's Country magazine April/May 2010)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 lb.)
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 c. orzo pasta
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14 1/2 oz.) can petite-diced tomatoes*
1 1/2 c. low sodium chicken broth
3 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh basil
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Combine oregano, pepper flakes, salt and pepper; rub over both sides of the chicken.

Toast orzo in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until golden brown, 3-5 minutes. Transfer pasta to a bowl; set aside.

Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in same skillet until shimmering. Cook chicken until lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side; transfer to plate.

Add garlic and remaining oil to empty skillet; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add tomatoes, broth and toasted orzo; bring mixture to a boil. Add chicken, along with any juices to skillet; cook, covered, over medium-low heat until chicken is cooked through and orzo is tender, 10-12 minutes. I found there was a little too much juice in the pan at the end of the cooking time, so I removed the lid and let the mixture simmer 5 minutes or to reduce and thicken the sauce.

Remove from heat; sprinkle with basil. Serve, sprinkled with PLENTY of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. 4 servings.

*If you can't find petite-diced tomatoes, pulse 1 (14 1/2 oz.) can regular diced tomatoes in a food processor until finely chopped.

*Poodlepet said: I made this with chicken and it is a delicious dish-a do again! Last week I was craving it and I didn't have defrosted chicken, but I did have turkey keilbasa...I sliced it into medallions and slightly browned them and from there I browned up the orzo a bit and finished off the recipe according to the directions-It was wonderful! I'd say try this with your favorite sausage-you won't be disappointed and it's a great quick dinner!

Re: Looking for an orzo side dish… anyone?

Campion — Sun, 06 Jul 2014 12:13:59 GMT

Have you also considered cous-cous? It's pasta, but in small pearl shapes. It's delicious. It cooks even faster than orzo.

I cook my orzo with rice. I put some onion chopped fine in a teflon skillet with either butter or olive oil, add the orzo and cook until it browns slighly. Then I put in 1/2 cup of rice or so and let it brown a bit. I add broth (1 1/3 cup per 1/2 cup of rice or so) and let it simmer covered until the rice is done. That takes maybe 20 min. Then I stir in chopped spinach, raw, and let the heat cook it through. If spinach is on the restricted list, you can saute mushrooms with the orzo, or add fresh basil, or a pinch of fresh rubbed thyme leaves, or chopped sundried tomato or even a few golden raisins and some curry.

Re: Looking for an orzo side dish… anyone?

house_cat — Sun, 06 Jul 2014 14:17:59 GMT

Thanks, everyone I love these ideas. That chicken recipe is gonna happen for sure around here very soon. I saw several recipes that called for browning the orzo first. That sounds delicious.

All the ideas are good. I guess the forum keeps these threads alive for a long time if you want to search back for them.. I hope so because there are so many good recipes around here I couldn't possibly write them all down.

Campion, I'm not a fan of cous-cous. I don't know what it is about it that I don't like but I'm going to look into it again. Maybe the cous-cous dishes I had in the past just weren't very good. i've never made it myself.

Re: Looking for an orzo side dish… anyone?

Classylady — Sun, 06 Jul 2014 15:21:14 GMT

When I get back to cooking, that skillet chicken dish is a must-do. Cooking is just not on my radar right now.

Re: Looking for an orzo side dish… anyone?

chips — Sun, 06 Jul 2014 16:30:03 GMT

How did I miss this chicken recipe? I am for sure making it. It has all the "right stuff." I noticed that we have lost some of our regular posters again, but summer can be very busy. Thank you for re-posting this.

Re: Looking for an orzo side dish… anyone?

shaggygirl — Sun, 06 Jul 2014 18:26:22 GMT

Greek Orzo Salad

1 cup orzo

6 T olive oil

5 T red wine vinegar

1 small red onion chopped

1 and 1/2 t salt

1/2 t ground black pepper

1 t dried oregano

1/4 cup chopped parsley

2 large tomatoes diced

1 English cucumber diced

12 calamata olives halved

6 oz feta cheese

Bring water to boil, add orzo and cook till slightly al dente (8-10 min). Rinse, drain and place in 2 qt serving dish & toss w/ 1 T of the oil.

Whisk together remaining olive oil, vinegar, onion, salt, pepper, oregano & parsley. Pour over orzo, cover & chill for 2 to 24 hours. Toss remaining ingredients (tomato, cucumber, olives & feta cheese) with orzo before serving.

Re: Looking for an orzo side dish… anyone?

sue-p — Mon, 07 Jul 2014 05:28:00 GMT

Serves 6 as a side dish.
Best served immediately as it tends to dry out a bit the longer it sits.

Simple Orzo Pilaf

3-1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (I love Swanson's Natural Goodness 33% Less Sodium Broth)
1 pound orzo pasta (usually comes in little bags or boxes by the pasta)
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste

1. In a large saucepan, bring the broth to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in the orzo and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer the orzo and broth uncovered, stirring now and then to prevent sticking on the bottom of the pot, about 8-10 minutes, until the orzo is tender. The orzo mixture should be thick and syrupy when it is finished cooking-not too dry. If it seems as though the orzo isn't finished but looks dry, add 1/4 cup chicken broth and continue to cook.

2. When the orzo is tender, remove the pot from the heat. Garnish with additional sliced green onions and serve immediately before it becomes too dry.

Source: Mel's Kitchen Café
Posted by sue-p 7/6/14

Re: Looking for an orzo side dish… anyone?

golding76 — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 04:20:16 GMT

I prepared DiamondGirly's Skillet Italian Chicken with Orzo tonight, and it is a tasty dish. The orzo is splendid when prepared this way.

Thank you, DG!