Orzo and Carrots

Ladies’ Home Journal Family FavoritesCookbook, p. 21

3 cups chicken broth

1 ¼ cups orzo pasta

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup finely chopped carrots

½ cup finely chopped onions

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Carrot-chopping cheat: buy the lil' pre-peeled baby ones, and cut then down the long way first, then the hamburger way. 

Bring chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in orzo and bring mixture back to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until orzo is tender, 8 to 10 minutes. 

It's in there somewhere, I promise.

Drain orzo in a large strainer, then transfer to a large serving bowl. 

It took me about five extremely jarring seconds to realize that the holes in my strainer are orzo-sized. Check first, before you accidentally lose a bunch of them!

Cover to keep warm (you can cover serving bowl with plastic wrap so that orzo stays hot).

Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrots and onions and cook, stirring frequently, until carrots are golden and onions are translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. 

And they mean frequently. Otherwise they stick to the pan and get singed, like the ones you see here.

Remove from heat. Add vegetables to orzo, then sprinkle in cheese and parsley. 

The parsley actually adds nice fresh flavor to this rather than just taking the backseat as a garnish. It's neat!

Toss well to coat. Serve hot.

HAWT, they mean.

My Rating: 4/5 "Very pleasantly surprised by this recipe. The real difference between this and any other regular old pilaf-esque recipe is the gooey melted Parmesan that unites all the other flavors with its mellowness. Swing and a hit!"