MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - ORZO SOUP

 A soup declared a 10 out of 10 by both of us. It turned chilly last week and I suggested a soup. It was delicious and I am glad we made it. We usually only use soups in cold weather, but this will be made all-year round, I'm thinking.

I found it at a food blog called The Clever Meal hosted by Katia. The original recipe can be found here. 

Katia's biography reads in part: 

"I'm the founder, recipe developer and photographer behind The Clever Meal. My goal is to create and share easy and inexpensive recipes with people all over the world. 

The Clever Meal stemmed from my love for simple meatless meals made with everyday ingredients. Not only are beans, pasta and veggies delicious, but cutting out the meat is also great for your health, wallet and the planet. I truly believe that delicious family meals are possible even if you're short on time and have a tight budget."

I highly recommend taking a look at Katia's recipes. We knew we were going to love this one, but didn't realize how much. There are other great recipes we are going to try here.

Orzo Soup

Serves 4 and approximately 203 calories per serving.  

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 medium-sized onion, diced

1 large carrot, diced

1 large celery rib, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried basil or dried thyme

2 teaspoons flour

4 cups (960 ml) low sodium vegetable broth, add a bit more for a thinner consistency if desired 

1-1/4 teaspoons salt, or to taste (if your broth is salty) 

1 cup (165 grams) orzo pasta

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Add the olive oil, onion, carrot and celery to a large soup pot or Dutch Oven, and sauté over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, or until softened.

Stir in the minced garlic, dried herb (basil or thyme), and the flour. Stir for about 1 minute until the garlic smells fragrant and the flour is combined with the veggies.

Pour in the broth, add the salt (if the broth is not salty), stir well, bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes.  

Stir in the orzo pasta and cook for 10 minutes or following the directions on the package. Keep the lid off and stir frequently (10 minutes was enough for us).

Turn the heat off, stir in the parsley, taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. You might want to add a bit more broth or water if you prefer a thinner consistency.

Divide into bowls and top with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a few cracks of black pepper and grated Parmesan cheese if you like. 

Serve with a favorite crusty bread or roll. 

I didn't have any vegetable broth in the pantry and used chicken broth instead. 

We used thyme as our herb.

We didn't drizzle any olive oil over the top but did add lots of cracked black pepper and sprinkled grated Parmesan at the table.

I always try to remember to share the full address of the recipe website, in case you prefer to copy and paste rather than use the link at the beginning. 

https://theclevermeal.com/orzo-soup

If you try it I sincerely hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - ORZO SALAD - 4 SERVINGS

I have other Orzo salads on this blog already, but always enjoy a different version. I found this one at Julia's Album. She has many wonderful recipes on her food blog, and I recommend you go and see her orzo salad here, not only for the photos but for the great tips she gives, and also all the other delicious recipes. Julia describes this one as "a great dish to make ahead for sharing at potlucks, barbecues, picnics and cookouts."

It only takes approximately 20 minutes to make and can be serve chilled or at room temperature.

Orzo Salad - 4 servings and

approximately 407 calories per serving

For the pasta: 

1 cup uncooked Orzo pasta

For the salad dressing:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard or or to taste

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or Italian seasoning

1/4 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Salad ingredients:

10 ozs. cherry or grape tomatoes (red and yellow), sliced in half

2 medium cucumbers (I used 1 hot house cucumber), sliced and quartered

1/3 cup pitted black olives, sliced

1/3 cup pitted green olives, sliced (Julie used Castelvetrano olives. I used pimiento stuffed olives which I already had in the fridge)

4 ozs. Crumbled feta cheese

2 ozs. baby spinach

For the cooked pasta:

Cook 1 cup of orzo in 2 cups water for about 20 minutes on a simmer. Add small amounts of extra water if the orzo is still not cooked and the water is already absorbed. 

Once the pasta is done cooking (al dente), drain and rinse under cold running water in a fine mesh strainer.

While the orzo is cooking, proceed with the rest of the recipe.

Make dressing:

Combine the salad dressing ingredients in a small mason jar. Whisk with a fork until emulsified.

Assemble the salad:

In a large mixing bowl, add sliced cherry tomatoes, quartered cucumber slices, olives and salad dressing. Mix the dressing thoroughly with the veggies.

(Denise's note: when mixing the dressing we added enough to suit our own tastes, so a little at a time for us. We had quite a lot of dressing left over, but it's entirely up to you.)

Add the drained and rinsed orzo, crumbled feta cheese and baby spinach to the bowl with marinated veggies. Toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper and add more lemon juice if you feel it is needed.

Julie's notes and helpful tips:

Rinse the cooked orzo under cold water in a fine mesh strainer before adding to the salad. You want the pasta to stop cooking and prevent it from getting mushy.

Salad dressing options: make a dressing from scratch or use store-bought Italian or Greek.

Veggies: add mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, marinated artichokes or zucchini.

Add another choice of leafy greens, arugula for instance or a favorite.

Cheese: other options besides feta are small Mozzarella balls (pearls), sliced Mozzarella and cubed or grated Parmesan.

To make it gluten-free, use gluten-free orzo, quinoa, jasmine rice or the gluten-free pasta of your choice. Once cooked, rinse the pasta with cold water to prevent it from getting mushy. This is especially important for gluten-free pasta.

What did we think? An excellent salad for our make-again folder. 

Changes made: I had a jar of pimiento stuffed olives, and used those instead.

I also forgot to put the black olives in but added them the next day when we ate our leftovers.

I think that's about it but if you think you would like to try this and have any questions, let me know in the comment section.

I try to remember to leave the addy for those of you who prefer to copy and paste instead of using the link above.

https://juliasalbum.com/orzo-salad/

MONDAY RECIPE POST - CREAMY ONE-POT ORZO WITH LEFTOVER CHICKEN

We discovered how much we liked orzo only in recent years, not having much of it before, maybe only at restaurants.  Late to the party but we do enjoy when we put it on the shopping list, as in this case when I found today's recipe.   Our favorite pasta is Angel Hair, which is something my Mother-in-Law introduced us to many, many years ago (she was a marvelous cook), and that's all we seem to buy now.  It is our favorite spaghetti.  I make macaroni and cheese with elbow macaroni. We have also tried a variety of other shapes, again more so in the last few years. We enjoy pasta but we do try to make it rarely these days and keep it as a treat.  So, our treat for pasta this time was Orzo, and I found the recipe at Bake to the Roots, hosted by Marc. Marc lives in Berlin, Germany.  His bio can be read here, and the original recipe can be found at this link.  I try to remember to recommend checking out the website, as their photos are always very professional-looking and pleasing to the eye.  Also, for tips that I may not have added here, and also for all the other wonderful recipes.

Bake to the Roots is also a bilingual recipe blog - English and German, and recipes can be read in both languages.  I am going to leave in the metric measurements below for friends overseas.

Creamy One-Pot Orzo with Leftover Chicken

Serves 4

Olive oil for frying, (we recently bought Avocado oil in a spray can which we use now)

1 medium onion, chopped

2-3 garlic cloves, chopped

17.6 oz. (500g) dried orzo

1/2 cup (120ml) dry white wine

2 cups (480ml) vegetable stock

2 cups (480ml) hot water

1.8 oz. (50g) parmesan cheese, grated (plus some more)

1/2 rotisserie chicken, shredded

3.5 oz. (100g) baby spinach leaves

7 oz. (200g) cherry tomatoes, halved

Salt and Pepper

Peel the onion and garlic.  Chop finely.

Clean, wash and drain the spinach. 

Wash the tomatoes and cut them in half. 

Remove the meat from the chicken and shred.

Using a large Dutch oven or large pot, heat 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil, or use cooking spray. 

Add the onion and garlic and sauté until soft and glossy. 

Add the orzo and cook while stirring constantly for a minute or so, to toast it a bit. 

Deglaze with the white wine and let cook while stirring often until the wine is mostly gone. 

Add the veggie stock and hot water. 

Bring to a boil and let cook for about 9-10 minutes (once again, stir often) until most of the liquid is absorbed and the orzo is “al dente”.

Reduce the heat and add the grated Parmesan, shredded chicken, and spinach and mix in. 

Cook while stirring constantly and let the spinach wilt for a minute or two, then add the halved tomatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve immediately.

What did we think?  We gave this a ten out of ten!  This meal, with all the other ingredients added, was outstanding!

Things we changed?  Not much, but...

the only baby spinach we had was in a salad mix with baby kale and several other green salad ingredients.  We just tossed everything in and it was perfect.

We used the avocado cooking spray instead of the oil.

Normally I enjoy the process of chopping and preparing vegetables.  Today was one of those days when I wanted the short cuts, as in garlic cloves.  A month ago we found these at Trader Joe's.  One frozen cube equals 1 teaspoon or 1 clove of garlic.  They were just what I needed in getting the ingredients prepared, and it lasts longer than fresh garlic.

If you don't want to bother with these, or don't have them readily available in your area, I came across the following recipe found here at another food blog called Frugal Home hosted by Shelly.  She prepares garlic cloves similar to the above, and places them in ice-cube trays.  

"Chopping the Garlic Cloves:

After all the skins are removed from the cloves, it’s time to mince them. I find that using the food processor is the easiest way to get them minced.

I process the cloves of garlic until they are medium to finely minced. It only takes a few seconds. The food processor is so much faster than using a knife.

Portioning the Minced Garlic:

I use a tablespoon or a teaspoon to portion the minced garlic. A tablespoon is a large amount but I can cut it in half if I need a smaller amount.

If you use one or two cloves of garlic at a time, or don’t want to hassle with cutting the cubes in half as needed, measure the portions with a teaspoon instead. Half a teaspoon is equal to one garlic clove.

I add a small amount of water to each cube, about half a teaspoon to help it hold together better. Then place in the freezer until frozen solid."

Getting back to Trader Joe's, they also have cubes of ginger, and turmeric.  

I was feeling a bit out of sorts one day and used three cubes of ginger, with a little honey and lemon juice to taste, poured hot water over everything and stirred.  It made a very comforting drink.

As for the turmeric, I have been hearing how good this is and found this recipe on Dorot Garden's homepage here.  

"Quick & Delicious

How could you drink a great healthy drink that will brighten your day? Make some golden tea!

1 cup oat milk

1 Dorot ginger cube

2 Dorot Turmeric cubes

2 tablespoon maple syrup

Dash of pepper to activate Turmeric (allows for proper absorption into the body)

Blend ingredients, and place in pot and heat to a boil (could throw in the microwave too). If desired, add a dash of cinnamon on top.

This tea is wonderful hot in winter, and excellent cold in summer…"

That's about it, just to add I get no kick-back from Dorot's Gardens.  When I find something I like I will share it here, not only to remember it myself for future reference, but also in case you would like to use sometime if it's available in your area.

I just found an almost identical recipe at this link, in case you would like to check that out also.  

Thank you Marc for our fantastic meal today.  We both enjoyed it immensely and will be putting it in our favorite folder.

To all my blogging friends, old and new, thank you for looking and have a great week!