Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Mushroom and Orzo Risotto

I am surprising myself with how well I am doing with trying new recipes (#13 on my Mighty Life List) weekly. (I've decided this was an odd one to put on my list. When do I cross it off? In a year? Never?)
I got some money for Christmas with the instructions to spend it on myself - not bills, groceries, the baby etc. I waffled for a few minutes, then fired up Amazon and ordered myself some books, including Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes from The New York Times. I've made 4 dishes so far and they've all been fantastic. Love the book so far.
Last week I planned on making the orzo risotto but I wanted to add to it to make it our main dish. Mushrooms seemed the best way to go.

So I made the orzo risotto, which is super easy. Bring 2 cups of stock (I used chicken) to a boil, then add 1 cup of orzo. Cover and cook over medium low heat for 15 minutes, or until the orzo is cooked through and the liquid is absorbed.
While the orzo was cooking, I sauteed some chopped onion and garlic in a little olive oil, then added a few handfuls of roughly chopped mushrooms. When the mushrooms softened I added a couple of glugs of white wine and seasoned with salt and pepper and cooked until the liquid evaporated.
When the orzo was ready I stirred in a handful of parmesan cheese, then plated the pasta with a big dollop of mushrooms on top, and a little sprinkle of cheese. And look what we had:

This was so good I can't even tell you. And quick! Like less than 20 minutes, if you don't move too slow.

3 comments:

NKP said...

I love Bittman for delicious and straight-forward dishes. Great score on the book!

Mags said...

I really like his website as well as his books. So many of his dishes are so easy to make.

Karen Baking Soda said...

That is such a good idea and you executed it beautifully by buying some books. From the sound (and look) of it you made a great choice!