In this recipe series, we bring you recipes by Julia Toon, culinary motivator and author of the book ‘Good Eating: A Taste of Qatar’. New recipes every week, straight from Jules of the Kitchen.
Mushroom Orzo
Enjoy this unique rice-like pasta with mushrooms. Delicious as a main course on its own with a crisp green salad or great as an accompaniment alongside roast chicken or steak. I like to make the sauce first and then add the orzo to cook, gently simmering amongst the wonderful aromas and flavours of the ingredients. I assure you very little effort is required to make this dish, but oh my the end result is simply divine.
Serves 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes+
Stove top cooking & oven 180ºC
INGREDIENTS
200 g orzo pasta
100 g parmesan cheese – grated
Others
250 g button mushrooms – washed and thickly sliced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic – finely chopped
1 red onion – finely chopped
Seasonings
1 bayleaf
Sea salt – to taste
Coarsely ground black pepper – to taste
1 tsp chilli flakes – optional
Liquid
400ml of broth – water, vegetable or chicken
200ml milk
Garnish
Parmesan flakes
Fresh parsley – chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
Make sauce
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan deep enough to take all the ingredients. When hot add the chopped onions and cook. Add the garlic, stir well, and then add all the sliced mushrooms. Sauté until tender. Now add the seasonings with the bayleaf and chilli flakes if you like spice. Finally, add the stock and milk.
Complete cooking
Add the orzo and stir. Now allow the orzo to simmer slowly, stirring occasionally until cooked on the stove or place in a heated oven until all liquid is absorbed and the orzo is cooked.
Once the pasta is al-dente or to your ideal softness, remove from heat (or oven if cooked by this method) and add the parmesan cheese. Stir gently. Check the seasoning again.
Garnish
Serve hot with extra shavings of parmesan cheese and freshly chopped parsley.
Jules Tips: This dish can be cooked either on top of the stove or in the oven. If using the oven method for the final cook, cover with a lid. Both methods work well but I prefer the oven as I believe you obtain a more even cook – and of course, frees you up to do something else whilst it is cooking!
Contributed by: Julia Toon, Jules of the Kitchen
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