It's good to know that I'm teachable.
After a laughable last attempt at roasted vegetables with orzo a while back, I managed to make this very simple dish just the other night, completely on the fly. No recipe. No forethought. Distracted and fairly tipsy.
And dang it was yummy the next day.
Wish I could tell you how I did it. The last thing I remember, Doc, is cutting up red peppers, onions, potatoes and garlic in a huff and throwing them into a baking dish along with olive oil, sea salt and cracked pepper. Then I went to dinner. Greek.
When we returned I went to roast those vegetable. Temperature? No idea.
I made the orzo with two parts chicken stock and a crumble of saffron. I added white wine from a bottle as I stirred, one gulp per dollop. I was in a slightly better mood by this time. Less mad, more insouciant. The flamenco guitarist played palmas while I marked and stirred; marked and gulped.
Can't tell you how long I roasted the veggies. Not clear on why or when I thought the orzo might be ready. When it was all said and done I scooped it all out into separate containers and put them in the fridge, as I wasn't hungry.
Forgot about the whole thing until the next day lunch, when I screwed up my courage and tried the contents of containers no. 1 and 2. Zapped lightly in the microwave. Add feta. A pinch of salt and pepper (I'm trying to be more aggressive with my seasonings) and it was a lunch impressive enough to blog about.
It sort of made my week. This idea that I could make something like orzo with no recipe and only a third of my normal faculties. Maybe my experimenting and reading about these things is sinking in. Or maybe it was just dumb luck. Any insights would be appreciated.
Stumble It!
..un ole to you (and Jerez de la Frontera)..
Posted by: ATriana | March 24, 2008 at 03:50 PM
There are certain dishes, pasta being one, that are forgiving. It works *most* of the time. You can top it with butter and it'd taste good. Add some veggies and it's even better. I think it's the same with orzo. All you have to do is dump the remains of last night's dinner on top of it, and it'll taste great. It's an auto-pilot dinner. Serve some wine, and nobody will notice.
Posted by: Seraphine | March 25, 2008 at 09:06 AM
Keep the orzo recipes comin'!
uberchik
Posted by: uberchik | March 25, 2008 at 10:08 AM
I love feta, yummy :)
Posted by: Chef Erik | March 27, 2008 at 04:49 PM
Sounds like, as the buddhists would say, you got out of your way....I think it is sinking in...congrats!
Posted by: JulieR | March 29, 2008 at 05:28 PM