Week 21 - Orzo with Parmesan and Basil

Orzo... Somedays I just pick new recipes based on ingredients that I have never tried before. Orzo was a peculiar concept in my mind. It's like quasi-rice / quasi-pasta. Also, another impetus is that I am severely under-equipped with side dishes in my repertoire of recipes. This orzo dish certainly was not meant to be made as an entree, however, that was how I served it the evening that I threw this one together.

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Overall, it served it's purpose quite nicely. It really is a basic dish but the combination of basil and parmesan cheese gave it a slightly richer flavor. It definitely would be interesting to add in a meat of some type, either sausage, chicken or shrimp. I really don't know what would work the best, but I would be open to playing around with it.

This recipe reminded me of what I perceive risotto to be...if I were to ever make it. :) The creamy tenderness of the orzo was quite pleasant, though I probably could have cooked the orzo for a bit longer. one other change that I would make would be to find a way to reduce the salt. Granted, I made this about a month ago, but I seem to remember a salty aftertaste. That must be dealt with. There are at least 4 ingredients that could be the culprit in that.

I will give this recipe 6.5 out of 10. It definitely warrants another attempt and works quite well as a side dish. I am almost craving the simplicity of the flavors right now.