Orzo Primavera

Shawna Goodman-Sone, Montreal cooking teacher and talented family cook, remembers enjoying this dish at a friend’s house. “I played with it a bit and adjusted it to meet my taste buds. It’s very addictive,” says this committed community volunteer and editor of a successful cookbook called Panache: Montreal’s Flair for Kosher Cooking as a fundraiser for the city’s Jewish General Hospital.

Orzo Primavera

2015-03-17 13:57:52

Serves 8

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Ingredients

1. 1 pound (500 g) orzo or other small pasta
2. 1 tablespoon (15 mL) olive oil
3. 1 cup (250 mL) finely chopped onions
4. 6 shallots, minced 3 cloves garlic, mince
5. 2 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, chopped
6. 1 yellow bell pepper, roasted, peeled, chopped
7. 1-1/2 cups (375 mL) sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in warm water, soaking water reserved, chopped
8. 1-1/2 cups (375 mL) vegetable stock
9. 1 cup (250 mL) chopped, fresh basil
10. 1 cup (250 mL) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
11. 1 teaspoon (5 mL) freshly ground pepper
12. 1 teaspoon (5 mL) salt, or to taste
13. ½ cup (125 mL) toasted pine nuts

Instructions

1. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook orzo just until beginning to tenderize, or al dente. Drain, rinse, and set aside.
2. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat and sauté onions and shallots until softened, but not browned, about five minutes. Lower heat to medium, add garlic, and cook another two minutes.
3. Add peppers and sun-dried tomatoes, vegetable stock and from ½ cup (125 mL) to 1 cup (250 mL) of the tomato soaking water, just enough to moisten into a sauce, and continue to cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in the basil, grated cheese, pepper and salt, and pine nuts. Add cooked orzo, turning to distribute sauce evenly and warm orzo. Serve on eight warmed serving plates, each serving sprinkled with pine nuts.

By Shawna Goodman-Sone

Julian Armstrong https://www.julianarmstrong.com/