08 October 2008

get your orzo on.

when i lived in salt lake city i discovered the best orzo pasta salad in town. before then, i didn't even know orzo existed. sad huh. they serve their orzo cold, lemony and luscious. if you're a local, you must go try it at the Robin's Nest downtown. it comes with the lunch combo with any sandwich. i highly recommend their cuisine. it's oh so delicious.

yesterday i was dreaming about it as i often do and decided to do something about it. in honor of actually feeling up to it. (ladies, it's true. all the pregnancy books say you'll be feeling back to normal at six weeks post baby. i was a major skeptic after my c-section. yeah, maybe six weeks for those rough and tough types who marathoned through their nine months, but not me. i didn't think i'd be feeling normal until maybe thanksgiving. i thought i could perhaps be lucky enough to roll my post-op body out of bed for a slice of pumpkin pie.. but thank goodness, those doctors are true. just give it time and drink lots of water and slow exercise and lots of baby love. and you really will eventually feel like getting back into the swing of things. and naturally, you'll be feeling like yourself and less feeling that incision, ouch. i am no longer a skeptic, i'm a believer. believe you me. whatever that means.) back to my orzo, since i had a huge bunch of leftover cilantro from making this chicken tortilla soup, i decided to jump in and attempt to whip up a batch of my own original orzo.

get your orzo in the pasta aisle, do not be intimidated by it's orzoiffic name or by it's itty bitty box, a little goes a long way. still, you will want to eat the whole bowl when you're done. luckily this recipe is sugar free, so go big. act like you gourmet cook all the time and throw it into the cart at your local grocery mart. oh, and try to say orzo az many timez as you can during this orzo ordeal. cook up the orzo in a rapid boiling pot of water. add a dash of salt and lemon juice too. be sure to taste test it for tenderness before taking it off the stove.


meanwhile chop up a cup of fresh cilantro, one clove of garlic, 1/4 onion and throw in some red pepper too and whatever else is in your cellar that you think sounds good.


on medium heat, saute the chopped veggies with a tablespoon of olive oil. use your mother-in-law's pan from 1962 and a cute spoonula. cook and stir it up 'til it seems like it's done. then scoop it into a ramekin and toss it aside for now.


while your pan is still hot, grill up some chicken tenders. squeeze fresh lemon or lime on the li'l babies. fresh ground pepper is good too. flip them and cook thoroughly. by now your pasta, i mean orzo, should be done.


shake your orzo into a colander and drain well. toss it with more lemon juice, salt and pepper, tasting as you go. toss in the vegetables and stir. shred the cooked chicken and whip that in too.


fill your favorite bowl and serve it up, orzo style. enjoy it warm or cold. and welcome to a whole new world o' orzo.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh marta, i am so glad that your feeling better ...he is beautiful! Also i love your recipes- the love bars are made weekly, and everyone i know has asked for the recipe...

The White House said...

mmmm. That sounds so yummy.

I may have to take on this challenge. (but of course substitute cilantro for something else) Dan: "Hating cilantro is like hating air."
:)
So glad you are feeling better.

Anonymous said...

This sounds delicious and easy. Thanks for the great recipe!

Michelle said...

My favorite orzo recipe:
Orzo
Chopped dried cherries
Chiffinade fresh basil
Toasted pine nuts
Feta cheese
Lemon juice & olive oil & S&P

Pop it in the fridge for a couple hours and enjoy!

Rachel@oneprettything.com said...

Mmmmm. I love me some Orzo.

{amy k.} said...

Oh my goodness- this sounds exceptionally delicious! I think I'm going to have to go to the market just for some orzo! Thanks for sharing and glad to hear your feeling a little better!

Anonymous said...

a million thanks; my husband eats so italian he's practically made of pasta, and I've been in need of a good orzo recipe. will try it!

Dansie Family said...

sounds great. and i love the pan.my favorite orzo recipe is an orzo risotto. much easier than real risotto and very delish.

KJ said...

orzo is wonderful. impressive recipe!

Ellen said...

sounds so good! i will have to try it! toasted pine nuts would be a good addition too!

Erica said...

Okay I NEEDED that believe me speech! I am so worried I am not going to ever feel like my 'old self' again!! I really needed that, thanks!

Pina said...

It is nice to read that you are feeling better. :)

I discovered orzo about 10 years ago. I have always thought it was used for soups only (and it seems that other people think so too). I like it because it is cooked so quickly and it looks like rice.

Travelin'Oma said...

I've never heard of orzo!

Jake said...

Orzo and rice are confused in my mind. I don't like rice, so I think I won't like orzo. But this looks good. I'll try.

Ashley said...

Thanks for sharing. This is one of my favorite recipes of all time, and is also an orzo dish:

http://ashleyyummysrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/07/tri-colore-orzo.html

I actually made it tonight for dinner. Yum!

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