Because Orzo is My Obsession

Ahhhhh orzo. The little bitty rice shaped pasta that I love so much. It's soooooo cute and so versatile. I like to use it as often as I can, and lately, it hasn't been all that often. But I've been in a creative kind of mood in the kitchen lately and leaning towards regional Italian dishes. Not your every day spaghetti and meatballs stuff either. Different pastas, sauces, using more vegetables, the sort of things I might find if I were shopping at a market in Italy.....

I miss shopping in Europe!

I've made a similar dish before with chicken sausage and cannellini beans and it was delicious. So much so that my fiance chef "stole" it from me and featured it as a special in the restaurant and the entree during a beer pairing meal. This time I'm going for a casserole type dish that's fresher and lighter than lasagna, and much easier to throw together. I am sauteing chicken for this dish but I could just as easily see this as a great way to shrimp. But then again, I've never met a shrimp I didn't like! 

Imagine shopping at this awesome meat market!

This dish comes together very quickly, with the chicken being the most labor intensive part, and honestly, it's not all that taxing to cut up and saute some chicken cubes or slices. I like slices, like you'd use in a stir fry, but that's just me. Let's get working on this easy to put together casserole style dish with a Tuscan twist-

Tuscan Baked Chicken and Orzo

1 cup orzo pasta
1 pound boneless chicken
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
4 or 5 green onions, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups chicken broth (plus more if needed)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
handful sun dried tomatoes, chopped
couple handfuls baby spinach (stems removed)

Cut chicken into bite-size pieces. I made the "budget friendly" decision to buy bone-in skin-on chicken thighs and spent more time prepping the chicken than the entire rest of the recipe takes to prepare. Not doing that again! In large skillet heat the olive oil and butter until sizzling. Add chicken and cook, stirring often, until browned and mostly cooked. Remove chicken to bowl and set aside. Melt additional 3 tb butter in pan, add onion and garlic and cook briefly until softened. Add chicken stock to skillet, stirring and scraping up the tasty bits on the bottom. Add Parmesan cheese, tomatoes, spinach, orzo and chicken. Spoon into 11x7 baking dish. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes to an hour, until heated and bubbly and orzo is cooked. You may need to add extra broth if the orzo absorbs too much- check about halfway through cooking time. This recipe makes the perfect amount for dinner for two but is easily doubled for a family. You may need to adjust the baking time. 

Note- You can use leftover cooked chicken also, but you would still want to brown it in the oil and butter- it really brings some good flavor to the dish.

So now that dinner is on the table, we need to think about sides. I think this dish pairs perfectly with a plate of sliced fresh tomatoes. No adornments or fancy dressings- maybe a little drizzle of balsamic vinegar and a very small sprinkle of chiffonade of basil. A pinch of sea salt. Some good rustic crusty bread. A nice glass of crisp Pinot Grigio. 

Close your eyes and envision that little village in Tuscany, that sidewalk bistro.......

****Pics from Italy courtesy of Deberah Tedesco-Roberts. She was gracious enough to share pictures from her recent vacation. Yes, I am jealous.

Everything Salad

Everything at the Olive Bar anyway. Just kidding. I do love the olive bar. A couple grocery stores in the city have fantastic olive bars and I am totally like a crack addict when I go in there and grab a plastic tub and start shoveling olives into it. I almost never stop at one tub. Sometimes I get in trouble at home........

Hey, I love olives of all kinds. At the olive bar I can make my own mix of any kind of olive that's on the bar that day, plus whatever other delicious tidbits are hanging around- marinated mozzarella pearls, pickled baby pattypan squash, cubes of feta cheese or provolone, even Peppadews. I am absolutely smitten with Peppadews. A friend introduced me to these guys about ten years ago and I have been munching them, stuffing them, chopping and adding to dishes ever since. They are a bright red little round pepper with a sweet hot flavor that's just fantastic. Love em stuffed with goat cheese or Boursin. Yum.

Pasta salads are always popular around here and so are salads with grains. Naturally I happen to love that little pasta that looks like a grain- orzo. I love orzo in salads. Yes, it's just a pasta shape but it fools my brain into thinking it's nutty and toasty like a grain. So ya, I think it's nutty and toasty. It's just a shape and size that I really like and it fools my brain into thinking I'm eating something really good for me (not that pasta isn't.....)

Why "Everything" salad? Short version- I went to the big store in the city, bought lots of fresh produce, couldn't decide which ones to toss in my salad bowl so I decided to use everything. Clever, huh? Freshly cooked orzo, a couple summer squashes, chopped bell peppers, chopped scallions and more go into this colorful- and delicious- summer salad. It's a great side dish with dinner or a lunch entree. Let's make some.

Everything Salad

1 package orzo

1 small zucchini

1 small yellow summer squash

big handful cherry tomatoes

small bunch scallions

1 cup sugar snap peas

1/4 cup chopped Peppadews

1/4 cup chopped mixed olives

1/3 cup chopped bell peppers (I used green, yellow and red)

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup vinegar*

palmfull herbs of choice**

salt and pepper

small log goat cheese (or feta if you prefer)

*I used my own infused vinegar to make the dressing. I used chive blossom. Use any vinegar you like.

** I used thyme, parsley, chervil and chives plus a big pinch of Montreal Steak Seasoning

Get a big pot of salty water going for the orzo.

Quarter the zucchini and summer squash lengthwise and cut into slices. Place in large salad bowl. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and throw them in the bowl. Slice the scallions- in the bowl with them also. Cut the sugar snap peas in half, I did on the diagonal for an interesting look, and in the bowl. Add the Peppadews, olives and chopped bell peppers. Toss veggies to mix.

In a jar with a screw top lid combine the oil, vinegar and herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Pop the lid on and shake it up. Set aside.

When the orzo is done cooking, drain thoroughly; rinse in cold water and drain again. Add to the bowl with the veggies and toss. Pour dressing over and toss again. Break up the cheese with a fork and sprinkle over. Toss to coat. Chill or serve immediately.

It is deeeeelicious. I made this batch kind of late one evening so I'd have lunch for the next few days at work, and I had to sneak a bowl for a bedtime snack. The orzo is so delicious coated with the dressing and slightly melted mooshy goat cheese. The veggies are crispy- those sugar snap peas- wow, what a sweet bite they add. The olives are salty and briney and delicious and those Peppadews- yum!! You have to try this salad- just use whatever vegetables you have and what you like. Make it yours!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."