In case you haven't noticed, I'm a bit of a food snob. There are certain convenience foods that I detest and wouldn't consume under duress, and only purchase because the unsophisticated palates in my home demand it. The biggest offender is Mac and Cheese in the blue box with the neon orange powder. Bleccchhh, how do people eat that? I made homemade macaroni and cheese once from my dear aunt's recipe and the kids were crushed when I presented it. "This isn't Mac and Cheese!" No, you're wrong. This IS macaroni and cheese. The crap you guys are thinking of has the flavor of cardboard and is a sacrilege to pasta everywhere.
This recipe isn't macaroni, it's orzo. And the cheese isn't cheddar, but a fresh grated Parmesan. I serve this frequently as a side dish, but when the kids are with their dad and I'm just cooking for one, I'll whip it up for myself. I love it so much that it proves to me that I could pull off vegetarianism if I was forced-at gunpoint. I snagged the recipe off a gardening website a couple years ago, but like most recipes I find, it's evolved and mutated into something that's uniquely mine. Rare is the recipe that I don't tweak to suit my high standards.
Amy's Mushroom Orzo
32 oz. canned/boxed chicken broth, low fat, low sodium
12 oz. orzo pasta
5 oz. Sargento fresh grated parmesan
1 stick butter
16 oz. sliced white or baby portabella mushrooms
4 cloves crushed garlic
2 TBSP fresh thyme (NO, you may NOT substitute dried thyme, it just doesn't work)
2 shallots, finely minced
fresh ground pepper to taste
In a 2 quart pot, bring chicken broth to a slow simmer. While that's heating up, melt the butter in a saute pan over medium heat and immediately add the garlic and shallots. Add the mushrooms to the butter, stirring constantly. After the mushrooms have given up their liquid, continue stirring until it's evaporated, then remove from heat. Once broth is simmering, add the orzo and cook until the broth is completely absorbed by the pasta. Quickly toss the mushroom mixture, liquids included with the orzo, and add the cheese, incorporating well. Serve immediately, feel free to garnish with fresh sprigs of thyme or snip some fresh parley on top. This is great as a leftover, drizzle with a little chicken broth and add some more Parmesan and microwave until heated through.
