A twist on the Italian classic, this risotto-style recipe is made with velvety orzo pasta instead of rice and is full of fresh summery flavours. Using pre-seasoned sausage meat to make meatballs is a really simple way to cut down prep time in the kitchen, and a trick we’ve been re-creating ever since Chef André shared it with us. Finished off with crumbled feta and served on top of
Boxes and ingredients are packed in facilities that handles Peanut, Nuts, Sesame, Fish, Crustaceans, Milk, Egg, Mustard, Celery, Soya, Gluten and Sulphites. Due to the war in Ukraine, it has been necessary to substitute sunflower oil with rapeseed oil in some products without a label change. The FSA have advised that allergic reactions to rapeseed oil are rare.
1
Leek
1
Courgette
(May contain Celery)
1
Garlic Clove
1
Flat Leaf Parsley
½
Lemon
225
British Pork and Oregano Sausage Meat
(Contains Sulphites)
180
Orzo
(Contains Cereals containing gluten May contain Soya, Egg)
1
Vegetable Stock Powder
40
Grated Hard Italian Style Cheese
(Contains Milk, Egg)
100
Feta Cheese
500
Water for the Orzo
Remove the root and dark green part of the leek. Halve and thinly slice into half moons. Remove the ends from the courgette, quarter lengthways, then chop into 1cm chunks. Peel and grate the garlic (or use a garlic press). Remove the basil leaves from their stalks and roughly chop (discard the stalks). Zest the lemon. Shape the sausage meat into balls (six per person).
Boil your kettle. Heat a splash of oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Add the leek and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until softened, stirring occasionally, 3-5 mins. Once soft, add the garlic and courgette, stir and cook for 2 mins before stirring in the orzo as well.
Pour the boiling water (see ingredients for amount) into a measuring jug and stir in the stock pot until dissolved. Pour the stock into the orzo mix, bring to a simmer and cook until the orzo is tender, about 10 mins. Add more water if it all evaporates before the orzo is cooked. Stir every minute or so to ensure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan!
While the orzotto cooks, heat a splash of oil in a frying pan on medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and fry until browned on the outside and cooked in the middle, 9-10 mins. Turn every couple of mins and lower the heat if they are browning too quickly. IMPORTANT: The meatballs are cooked when they are no longer pink in the middle.
When the orzo is cooked, remove from the heat and stir in the hard Italian cheese, lemon zest, a squeeze of lemon juice and three-quarters of the basil. Taste and add more salt, pepper and lemon juice as necessary.
Spoon the orzotto into bowls and top with the meatballs. Crumble over the feta, and sprinkle on the remaining basil. Enjoy!