This dish uses orzo, a rice shaped pasta ideal for risotto-style dishes. Combined with creamy mozzarella and succulent cherry tomatoes from our friends at the Tomato Stall… what more could you want? Our orzo is made by Delverde who use mineral water from the mountains in their pasta, which in our opinion creates something really quite special.
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
Onion
2
Garlic Clove
1
Cherry Tomatoes
3
Thyme
1
Tomato Puree
1
Diced Chorizo
1
Orzo
(Contains Cereals containing gluten May contain Soya, Egg)
½
Vegetable Stock Pot
(Contains Celery, Sulphites)
1
Mozzarella
(Contains Milk)
2
Parmesan Cheese
(Contains Milk)
3
Baby Spinach
Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees. Chop your onion in half through the root, peel it and chop into roughly 2cm pieces. Peel and chop your garlic. Chop your cherry tomatoes in half. Pull the leaves off your thyme stalks using your finger and thumb.
Put a saucepan on medium heat with 1 tbsp of oil and add your onion, garlic, ¼ tsp of salt and a good grind of pepper. Cook for 5 mins until soft. Tip: If the onions start to colour turn the heat down.While your onions are softening, boil 450ml of water in a pot or a kettle.
Meanwhile pop your cherry tomatoes on a baking tray, sprinkle with ¼ tsp of salt, a good grind of pepper and ¼ tsp of sugar(if you have any). Roast in the oven for 10 mins. When the 10 mins are up take them out the oven and put them to the side for later.
When the onions are softened add your thyme leaves, tomato purée and chorizo to the pan. Give everything a good stir and cook for another 2 mins.
Add the orzo to the pan and stir, so it has a good covering of oil and tomato purée, then add your 450ml of boiling water and your vegetable stock pot. Stir gently to combine and dissolve the stock pot and slowly bubble away for 8-9 mins, until the liquid has been absorbed and the orzo is ‘al dente’(i.e. there is just a hint of firmness left in the middle). Tip: Make sure you stir a few times to ensure the orzo does not stick to the bottom of the pan. If the liquid is all absorbed before the pasta is cooked, simply add another splash of water and continue cooking until the orzo is done.
While your risotto is cooking roughly tear your mozzarella into small pieces and grate your parmesan.
When your orzo is cooked, take the pan off the heat, add your mozzarella, half your parmesan and the cherry tomatoes and stir everything together. Pop your spinach on top and put a lid on for 3 mins to allow the spinach to steam, then stir that in too.
Serve your risotto in bowls with the rest of the parmesan sprinkled on top… enjoy!