Thursday, January 22, 2009

Orzo Risotto

I was really in the mood for a risotto but didn't have a single grain of arborio rice in the house. I did, however, have a bag of orzo pasta. Since it looks an awful lot like rice, I thought it would make a good substitute.

INGREDIENTS
- 5 cups salted water
- 1 1/2 cup orzo pasta
- 2 tbsp margarine
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1/2 cup hot vegetable broth (or more)
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD
1. Get the salted water boiling in a pot. Add pasta and cook for 4-5 mins, until pasta is softened but still has plenty of bite. Drain and set aside.
2. Melt margarine in a pan over medium heat. Add pasta and mix well, coating each piece of pasta. Add half of the wine, stirring constantly until absorbed. Repeat with remaining wine.
3. Add enough hot broth, a bit at a time, stirring regularly, until pasta is al dente. Add peas, yeast, parsley, and season with salt and pepper. Mix well, and cook until peas are done. Serve.