Yum

So, today I'm going to toot my own horn just a bit:) A few years ago, I had one of the best meals I think I've ever had at Clary's- creamy orzo. I got the recipe, and that same year, I attempted to remake the yumminess. Lets just say it did NOT go well, and resulted in me throwing out the whole thing. It had you reducing a white wine mixture, which totally threw me off.



Skip ahead a few years- I look up orzo on foodnetwork.com and find a recipe very similar to the one from Clary's- without the whole white wine thing. It's time to reattempt.



I used parts of both recipes, and substituted a few things of my own (I didn't have a shallot, so I used onion salt, and I also used lemon juice, which is a personal favorite of mine. No frozen peas on hand, so I used sugar snap peas, etc.) I also didn't measure anything, because I don't like getting things dirty if I don't have to, and I do things to Blake and I's taste anyway.



Final product- YUMMY!!! I was so excited!!!! So here's the recipe I would say I most followed, with the substitutions I mentioned above...




Creamy Orzo
1 pound orzo (rice-shaped pasta)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large shallot

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 can diced tomatoes, juices drained

1 1/4 cups whipping cream

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Salt and freshly ground black pepper


Bring a heavy large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the orzo and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.


Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic, and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until they are tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in the cream and peas. Add the orzo and toss to coat. Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the Parmesan to the pasta mixture and toss to coat. Stir the pasta mixture until the sauce coats the pasta thickly, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to maintain a creamy consistency. Season the orzo with salt and pepper, and serve.



Today I love: Creamy Orzo, duh