Perfecting Pasta: Orzo

Can we talk about a cheeky little thing called Orzo?

It all started with Pastina: the smallest pasta shape known to man. This year we saw a mass resurgence of it, and as social media chefs flooded our timelines with pastina recipes, brands, and history details, the appeal for a petite pasta pattern brought the limelight on another fan-favorite: Orzo.

I quite like making a red sauce pasta, however my recipes usually consist of using Rao’s sensitive marinara and whatever pasta-esque veggies are in my fridge. My college roommates first introduced me to this rendition of the dish, and we used to go out of our way to make special recipes like lasagna which would then be shared with other friends, along with drinks and board games. Nowadays I’ll just make it because it’s quick and the sauce is ready-made; it can be quite drab at times which is quite the travesty since Rao’s sauce ain’t cheap.

So for round two of this perfecting pasta series, it’s time to give my red sauce pasta a face-lift. Say hello to creamy orzo!

Step 1: Upgrading the Ingredients

In the spirit of taking things to the next level, I got a fresh batch of cherry tomatoes from the Union Square farmer’s market! Although red tomatoes would be the best for taste, I wanted to experiment by adding the yellow and greenish-purple varieties. My theory was that it’ll elevate the flavor profile by adding a bit of tartness; in addition to just making the bowl look pretty :)

Step 2: Enhanced Cooking Techniques

In addition to experimenting with the ingredients, I also experimented with the preparation process. In order to make the sauce, I diced the tomatoes and set them into the pan to reduce into a sauce on low heat. I believe simmering them breaks the tomatoes down naturally, resulting in a more cohesive taste than what would occur if you threw them into a blender.

Step 3: Assembly!

In the spirit of all things fresh, I bought a thyme plant so that my garnish would be as fresh as possible. I also like to use freshly cracked pepper, as it adds texture and variance to each bite. I also saved a few tomatoes and cut them up into small circles so that they would add an extra visual element to the plating. Overall I loved this project and I can’t wait to try new pasta recipes soon! :)