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| Orzo pasta with fresh veggies. |
Many types of food bring back fond childhood memories. Our family was fortunate to have great neighbors, including several Italian families on our block. I will always remember helping our next door neighbor, Anna, who was also our landlady, prepare meals for her family. Often our family was invited, too. There was always room at their dinner table for anyone who dropped by.
I think I was first introduced to orzo (a type of pasta) when I was in kindergarten. For most of my life, I thought that orzo was rice. Anna made all kinds of dishes with the pasta, including soups. This recipe is dedicated to Anna and all of the wonderful Italian neighbors who have shared their love of food, family and friendship with us.
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| You can also use freshly grated Parmesan and your own chicken stock. |
Serves 6
2 cups dry orzo pasta
2.5 cups chicken stock
3 scallion onions chopped
½ cup each of chopped: red pepper, yellow pepper, green pepper, mushrooms
4 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp fresh basil chopped
3 tbsp Parmesan cheese grated
Chop veggies and set aside.
On medium heat, melt butter in deep skillet then add orzo and stir often until lightly browned. Carefully add stock to the pan and stir often so orzo doesn’t stick to the pan.
Lower heat to simmer. Stir in chopped veggies and stir well. Put lid on pan.
Simmer and stir often until orzo is tender, normally about 10-15 minutes. You can add more stock, if desired, a little at a time to prevent the orzo from burning.
Remove from heat. Add Parmesan cheese and stir. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish with freshly chopped basil.
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| Fresh basil is wonderful with this dish. |
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| Buon appetito! |
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