Orzo is one of the tiniest pasta shapes out there - at first glance you might mistake one for a grain of rice. They make a great addition to soups and stews but today we're letting them absorb some flavourful stock, a little like a risotto. An orzotto if you will. Enriched with chorizo and not one but two types of cheese, it's a real treat.
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
½
Thyme
15
Tomato Puree
1
Diced Chorizo
180
Orzo
(Contains Cereals containing gluten May contain Soya, Egg)
½
Vegetable Stock Pot
(Contains Celery, Sulphites)
1
Mozzarella
(Contains Milk)
20
Parmesan Cheese
(Contains Milk)
1
Baby Spinach
400
Water
Preheat your oven to 200°C. Halve, peel and chop the onion into roughly 1cm pieces. Peel and grate the garlic (or use a garlic press). Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Pick the thyme leaves from their stalks (discard the stalks).
Pop the tomatoes on a baking tray, season with salt, black pepper and a pinch of sugar (if you have some). Roast on the top shelf of your oven for 10 mins. When done, remove from the oven and set aside.
Pop the kettle on to boil. Heat a splash of oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Add the onion and season with a pinch of salt and a grind of black pepper. Cook until soft, 5 mins. Next add the garlic, thyme, tomato purée and chorizo to the pan. Give everything a good stir. Cook for another 2 mins. Add the orzo to the pan and stir again so it gets a good coating of all the other ingredients.
Add the boiling water (amount specified in the ingredient list) to the pan along with the vegetable stock pot. Stir to dissolve the stock pot. Simmer until the liquid has been absorbed and the orzo is tender, 8-9 mins.TIP: Stir occasionally to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan. If the liquid is all absorbed before the orzo is cooked, add another splash of water and give it a couple more mins.
While the orzo cooks, roughly tear the mozzarella into small pieces and grate the parmesan. When the orzo is ready, take the pan off the heat, add the mozzarella, half the parmesan and the roasted tomatoes. Stir gently. Add the baby spinach on top and pop a lid on the pan so the spinach wilts, 3-4 mins. Stir it through..
Serve your orzo in bowls with the rest of the parmesan sprinkled on top. Enjoy!