Monday, July 23, 2012

Summery Lemony-Basil Orzotto

Gordon Ramsey has totally intimidated my Mushroom Risotto to a big ugly blob, and I love risotto.  I came across this recipe from Cooking Channel's Kelsey.  It's easy, pretty quick and, we love it with the fresh aromas of summer.  I've made it several times now without failure.  It's a great summery side starch instead of potatoes and goes with any main course.  It goes like this:

2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 cup of diced onions
1 1/2 cups of Orzotto or Orzo(Kroger has it.  The kinda tiny ones.)
1/2 cup of white wine
3 cups of chicken broth
1/2 cup of frozen petite peas
1/3 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chiffonade fresh basil
1 teaspoon of lemon zest
1/4 cup of heavy cream
Juice of 1 lemon
Kosher Salt and freshly ground pepper


In a heavy bottomed medium saucepan, heat the oil over med-high heat.  Add onions and sauté until fragrant and translucent.  Add the orzo and toast for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add wine and cook until absorbed, but not dry, keep it moist.

Gradually add in the chicken stock, stirring frequently.  Bring to a simmer, lower heat and cover.  Cook for 8-10 minuets until the liquid is is almost absorbed and orzo is tender.  Remove from the heat and stir in peas, Parmesan, basil, lemon zest, heavy cream and lemon juice.  Season with salt n pepper to fast and VOILA!  

I've been experimenting with the addition of toasted pine nuts and marinated artichokes with great success.  And in fact I'm thinking of the addition mushrooms.  In short, all the types of risotto that I CAN'T make.  As always, I love a glass of crisp white wine.  Just found a really good one that's inexpensive: A-Z's Pino Gris.  

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