Posted on by Myfrenchkitchen

Orzo risotto with spinach

Orzo, also known as risoni, or in french, langue d’oseau is a form of pasta, shaped like a grain of rice. It is a staple in our house and everybody loves it, especially when we make it risotto style. We always prefer eating risotto on its own with a vegetable or a salad. I served this orzo risotto with a plain fresh tomato salad with sliced spring onions. It is what I had in the fridge…the tomatoes were not in the fridge though, never keep tomatoes in the fridge!

Recipe

  • I small onion
  • 2 TBSP olive oil
  • 1 cup orzo
  • 2 cups of hot vegetable stock
  • 1 TBSP of butter
  • 1 TBSP of créme fraiche
  • 1 TBSP parmesan cheese
  • 2 large handfuls of washed and drained spinach leaves
  • freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Slice the onion finely and sauté in the olive oil until translucent.
  2. Add the orzo and sauté for a minute or two.
  3. Add a ladle of hot vegetable stock and simmer over medium heat until dissolved, while stirring all the time. Repeat the process until all the stock has been used or until the orzo has become al dente. Take care not to cook the orzo until dry, because with standing time it will become more dry and might then become sticky and clumpy. You want the risotto creamy and runny.
  4. Add the butter and créme fraiche when the risotto is still creamy and still has some liquid. Remove from the heat. See image below.
  5. Stir in the parmesan cheese.
  6. Add the spinach, a drizzle of lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Mix gently.
  7. Serve on its own with some more grated parmesan cheese and a fresh tomato salad or serve with roasted chicken.

Serves 4

Pinch of salt

  • Use a large shallot instead of an onion.
  • Like with risotto, you can serve this with any vegetable you choose, steamed asparagus, roasted butternut for autumnflavor, plain with saffron, broccoli, or roasted sweet potato.
  • Add fresh herbs of your choice at the end of the cooking process.
  • Keep the risotto creamy by removing it from the heat until it is still runny and still has some liquid, or else it will become sticky and clumpy if you cook it until dry.
  • Serve the risotto as soon as possible. The longer it stands the drier it becomes.
  • Constantly stir the risotto to keep it from sticking to the bottom.
  • The cooking time is more or less about the same as for risotto, 20 minutes.

à bientôt

Ronell

Posted on by Myfrenchkitchen

Cherry tomato and feta bake with pesto.

This tomato feta bake is a recipe that’s been going around for a few years. I’m a bit late on the wagon, but here it is, with a twist. In summer we devour tomatoes. We are accustomed to picking our own tomatoes from the potager for the last 10 years, but here in Provence we don’t have a potager yet, having moved here only January this year. It is in the pipeline for next season, but in the meantime we rely on the Provencal markets of which there is one in a town each day of the week. So no excuse not to have fresh local tomatoes in the bowl!

We serve this tomato dish with just about everything as a side or on its own with crusty, rustic country bread. It makes a delicious sauce which all goes to waste if you don’t mop it up with bread. Originally on the internet and on TikTok it is served over pasta. It can be lunch or dinner or apero. I serve it here with baked salmon and I can’t tell how well they match together. You have to try it for yourself.

The ingredients are very simple and available. And of course you can play around with herbs and onions, omit the onions if you wish, or even change the feta cheese for goats cheese.

Recipe

  • A handfull of cherry or grape tomatoes
  • half a red onion
  • block of feta cheese
  • several branches of fresh thyme
  • Fesh basil leaves
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • olive oil
  • balsamic vinegar
  • salt and pepper
  1. Clean the tomatoes and add to an ovenproff dish.
  2. Add the block of feta cheese and press it inbetween the tomatoes.
  3. Clean and finely slice the onion, add to the tomatoes and feta.
  4. Chope the garlic and sprinkle over the tomao feta.
  5. Sprinkle with fresh thyme and drizzle finally with olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar.
  6. Season with salt and freshly milled pepper.
  7. Bake in a preheated oven at 210 degr C for 15 to 20 minutes, until the tomatoes are shrivled.
  8. Remove from the oven and serve with pesto and fresh basil.

Serves 4

A pinch of salt

  1. Use goats cheese instead of feta cheese
  2. Use any other fresh herb of your choice.
  3. Add some drizzled freshly squeezed lemon juice.
  4. Sprinkle grated lemon peel over the feta
  5. Use shallots instead of red onion.
  6. Use a mix of grape and cherry tomatoes.
  7. Bake at a higher temperature for a shorter time, until the tomatoes are charred.

A bientôt!

Ronell