When we first looked at this recipe in a church cookbook, it sounded delicious -- orzo and rosemary. But, then, when you read the list of ingredients, it seemed a little odd to have a combination of rosemary, orzo, and raisins. Who puts raisins with orzo? But, then we thought about some of the foods that have cinnamon with tomato sauce or grapes with celery, and thought that maybe this was not as weird as we first suspected. And, when we see a recipe that makes us talk about it for a while, we have to try it… more out of curiosity than anything. If we were to attend the church that published this cookbook, we would also have something to talk about!
We decided to be a little adventurous and try a new recipe. Here is our rationale: Both of us like raisins, we love the flavor and smell of fresh rosemary, and we like orzo (manestra). How could a dish be bad if we like all the components? So, we ventured into making this Rosemary Orzo with Raisins. It was straight-forward and simple, and did not take too long (about 20 minutes). If you are in a hurry and need something unique, this may be a dish you will try.
We cut the recipe in half for the purpose of this blog entry, but we are giving you the full recipe. You can cut it in the amounts that you need, or increase it by the same ratio.
For this recipe, you will need the following:
1 1/2 cups Orzo Pasta
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, or 2 teaspoons dried
2 Tablespoons golden raisins or currants
2 1/2 cups water or vegetable broth
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
As with many dishes, the first step is to heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the orzo to the hot oil and saute it over medium high heat. You will see the orzo will start turning a golden colour. Saute it to try to evenly colour the orzo.
Add the rosemary, salt, raisins, and water. Mix these together well to assure that none of the orzo is sticking to the pan or to itself. Make sure the raisins are submerged in the water. Bring this mixture to a boil -- a full, rolling boil. Then, turn down the heat, cover the pot, and allow this to simmer for about 10 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed.
Remove the pan from the heat. Add the lemon juice, mix the orzo well, then replace the cover on the pot and let it stand, covered for about 5 minutes before serving warm. Enjoy the combination of flavours and textures, and we would love to know what you think about this one!
Source of image: http://orthodoxchurchquotes.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/st-augustine-of-hippo-3.jpg
“Find out how much God has given you and from it take what you need; the remainder is needed by others.”
– St. Augustine of Hippo
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