topic Re: ORZO PASTA QUESTION in Recipes

ORZO PASTA QUESTION

Tinkrbl44 — Tue, 26 Jul 2016 21:47:26 GMT

Heaven knows there seems to be a multitude of different shapes and sizes of pasta. Many recipes call for a certain shape of pasta, based on the other ingredients in the recipe.

I once had a buffet dish with vegetable soup and a side dish of cooked orzo .... so you could put in a couple tablespoons of pasta into your soup, to taste.

My queston is .......... what other dishes have you used the little Orzo pasta beads in?

Re: ORZO PASTA QUESTION

sabatini — Tue, 26 Jul 2016 21:56:28 GMT

Orzo makes a lovely pilaf, and is even a nice change when used as a chilled sidedish.

My MIL used to make a summer salad w/ orzo, shrimp, finely diced celery & a red wine vinegar vinaigrette. It was delicious!

Re: ORZO PASTA QUESTION

mousiegirl — Tue, 26 Jul 2016 21:57:06 GMT

@Tinkrbl44 wrote:
Heaven knows there seems to be a multitude of different shapes and sizes of pasta. Many recipes call for a certain shape of pasta, based on the other ingredients in the recipe.

I once had a buffet dish with vegetable soup and a side dish of cooked orzo .... so you could put in a couple tablespoons of pasta into your soup, to taste.

My queston is .......... what other dishes have you used the little Orzo pasta beads in?

@Tinkrbl44 I use it in rice when making pilafs along with nuts and anything else you like. Google probably has a lot of recipes for pilafs.

Re: ORZO PASTA QUESTION

house_cat — Tue, 26 Jul 2016 22:36:24 GMT

Orzo is my favorite soup pasta, but it takes long to boil in comparison with other soup noodles.

Confetti Orzo is one of my favorite sides. I usually add even more veggies and that's all I need to accompany a piece of fish or chicken.

Here's one recipe for confetti orzo.

Re: ORZO PASTA QUESTION

IamMrsG — Wed, 27 Jul 2016 00:04:20 GMT

A favorite in our house is to use orzo as a side dish.

For two: In a skillet, I toast the uncooked pasta in melted butter until it turns a golden brown. Then I start adding chicken broth, working with a quart of it, about a cup at a time. Keep a watchful eye on it, stirring frequently and adding chicken broth as deemed necessary. Remember, you're cooking pasta, so you do not want to let it go dry. At the final addition of broth (taste for doneness of the pasta), stir in a desired amount of grated Parmesan. For me that's a good handful. Stir in a last bit of broth, and serve once the pasta has reached a consistency you want. Garnish with more grated Parmesan when you plate.

For variation, you can add peas or mushrooms.

Re: ORZO PASTA QUESTION

panda1234 — Wed, 27 Jul 2016 01:31:29 GMT

@IamMrsG wrote:
A favorite in our house is to use orzo as a side dish.

For two: In a skillet, I toast the uncooked pasta in melted butter until it turns a golden brown. Then I start adding chicken broth, working with a quart of it, about a cup at a time. Keep a watchful eye on it, stirring frequently and adding chicken broth as deemed necessary. Remember, you're cooking pasta, so you do not want to let it go dry. At the final addition of broth (taste for doneness of the pasta), stir in a desired amount of grated Parmesan. For me that's a good handful. Stir in a last bit of broth, and serve once the pasta has reached a consistency you want. Garnish with more grated Parmesan when you plate.

For variation, you can add peas or mushrooms.

I use this method.

. This is how you cook risotto and when using orzo, it becomes creamy.

Re: ORZO PASTA QUESTION

Sooner — Wed, 27 Jul 2016 01:44:27 GMT

It's just pasta and there are some wonderful cold salads made with it. I don't have a specific recipe to quote, but I just use it like pasta or you can use it like rice in salads and soups.

Re: ORZO PASTA QUESTION

IamMrsG — Wed, 27 Jul 2016 01:51:42 GMT

@panda1234 wrote:
@IamMrsG wrote:
A favorite in our house is to use orzo as a side dish.

For two: In a skillet, I toast the uncooked pasta in melted butter until it turns a golden brown. Then I start adding chicken broth, working with a quart of it, about a cup at a time. Keep a watchful eye on it, stirring frequently and adding chicken broth as deemed necessary. Remember, you're cooking pasta, so you do not want to let it go dry. At the final addition of broth (taste for doneness of the pasta), stir in a desired amount of grated Parmesan. For me that's a good handful. Stir in a last bit of broth, and serve once the pasta has reached a consistency you want. Garnish with more grated Parmesan when you plate.

For variation, you can add peas or mushrooms.
I use this method.
. This is how you cook risotto and when using orzo, it becomes creamy.

You're correct, of course. Risotto is known for being labor intensive, and can scare some folks off, so I didn't 'go there' with it. Trust me (and I hope you do by now), this dish, with orzo, is quicker and easier.

Re: ORZO PASTA QUESTION

RespectLife — Wed, 27 Jul 2016 12:52:31 GMT

I have made this several times now, especially to give to others. It has been very well received and IMHO is delish!!

It is from lemonsforlulu.com

I do not use that much butter. Mine was done in less time than stated.

Baked Chicken and Orzo

Ingredients

1 stick butter, divided
6 chicken breasts
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 shallot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb mushrooms, sliced,
1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
1 16 oz package orzo
32 oz chicken broth

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375. In large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Season chicken breast and add to butter in batches adding another 2 tablespoons in between. Brown chicken for 3 minutes, turn and brown the second side for 1 minute. Remove to a plate and keep warm.
In a large stockpot, melt ¼ cup butter. Add shallots and garlic to butter, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add mushrooms and sage. Cook until the mushrooms just begin to soften. Add orzo. Stir and cook until orzo is lightly toasted and fragrant.
Pour orzo into a 13 x 9 baking dish. Top with chicken breast. Pour chicken stock over orzo and chicken. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until chicken reaches 165 degrees and liquid has been absorbed.

Re: ORZO PASTA QUESTION

RespectLife — Wed, 27 Jul 2016 12:56:43 GMT

Carol1229 posted this back in 2013. BOY DO I MISS HER!! It is a wonderful dish!

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: ORZO PASTA QUESTION

RespectLife — Wed, 27 Jul 2016 13:01:15 GMT

This was from Recipe Swap back in 2013 also. I apologize for neglecting to note the source! I tried to do a search here but couldn't find it. So thank you to the original poster.

I LOVE Greek flavors...anything w/ feta is a hit w/ me!

Greek Orzo Salad

1 cup orzo

6 T olive oil

1 small red onion, chopped

5 T red wine vinegar 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.

Serves 6 as a side dish.

Best served immediately as it tends to dry out a bit the longer it sits.

Re: ORZO PASTA QUESTION

ChiliPepper — Wed, 27 Jul 2016 16:36:32 GMT

@RespectLife

Thanks for the recipes Respect! I'm gonna give orzo a try!

That baked chicken looks DELISH!!! I miss Carol too, her recipes were always GREAT!!!

Re: ORZO PASTA QUESTION

chickenbutt — Wed, 27 Jul 2016 17:29:22 GMT

What a coincidence! Just yesterday I was thinking about making this recipe -

I have a recipe I got many years ago from 'Cooking Light' for Basil Shrimp with Feta and Orzo.

It has those ingredients, in addition to artichoke hearts, green onions, a bit of olive oil, lemon, and probably some seasonings.

You cook it in the oven in one of those oven bags. I really love this recipe and haven't made it for many years. I noticed in yesterday's grocery ads that my store has gulf shrimp on ad and I thought about this recipe.

Re: ORZO PASTA QUESTION

Tinkrbl44 — Wed, 27 Jul 2016 22:19:40 GMT

@IamMrsG wrote:
A favorite in our house is to use orzo as a side dish.

For two: In a skillet, I toast the uncooked pasta in melted butter until it turns a golden brown. Then I start adding chicken broth, working with a quart of it, about a cup at a time. Keep a watchful eye on it, stirring frequently and adding chicken broth as deemed necessary. Remember, you're cooking pasta, so you do not want to let it go dry. At the final addition of broth (taste for doneness of the pasta), stir in a desired amount of grated Parmesan. For me that's a good handful. Stir in a last bit of broth, and serve once the pasta has reached a consistency you want. Garnish with more grated Parmesan when you plate.

For variation, you can add peas or mushrooms.

@IamMrsG

Yum!

I cooked some plain orzo last night and added a few spoons to some chicken friend rice ... and, voila! .... I had Rice A Roni! LOL

Re: ORZO PASTA QUESTION

Tinkrbl44 — Sat, 30 Jul 2016 16:08:50 GMT

@RespectLife wrote:
This was from Recipe Swap back in 2013 also. I apologize for neglecting to note the source! I tried to do a search here but couldn't find it. So thank you to the original poster.

I LOVE Greek flavors...anything w/ feta is a hit w/ me!

Greek Orzo Salad

1 cup orzo
6 T olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped
5 T red wine vinegar 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.
Serves 6 as a side dish.
Best served immediately as it tends to dry out a bit the longer it sits.

@RespectLife

Sounds delicious !!