Surplus Herbs = Super Easy Pasta
This Week's Recipe: Herby Orzo
The heat wave we’ve been having in my corner of the NYC metro area has finally ended, but not before it caused my herb garden to explode in growth. This happens several times each summer, and after the heat breaks I cut back the overgrowth, but then I’m stuck with a pile of a lot of different herbs—not enough to make a single-flavor pesto (like basil), and too little to take the time to freeze or dry. And as I said in my last post, I cannot bear to throw out herbs once I’ve cut them.
Which was the case many moons ago when I came across a recipe by the famous Moosewood Collective for making orzo with fresh herbs, in a cookbook that my company had just published. On a whim, I made it to bring to a barbecue and it was a big hit—it was perfect potluck food, as it worked as a side dish but was also the main event on several people’s plates. It was also simple to make and transport, and tasted good served at room temp. I’ve made it dozens of times in the years since, and have added my own twist to things—one being the addition of garlic (life is not worth living without garlic, imo). I think Herby Orzo is a perfect for accompaniment to anything grilled or roasted, a great addition to a leafy salad, or just yummy on its own. I made it a few days ago and mixed some leftovers with grilled cabbage I had on hand, it was a perfect cold lunch for a hot day.
With this recipe, essentially you are making a rough-cut pesto; the bulk of the work is chopping the herbs, and the rest of the dish comes together in a few minutes after the orzo is cooked. Truly, any combination of herbs will work—my go-to assortment is basil, rosemary, parsley, thyme, oregano, sage, mint, and chives, pretty much a sampling from every plant in my garden—but you can get away with many less varieties. As far as ratios of the herbs at hand, I tend to use slightly more basil than everything else, but there are times I’ve made it without basil and it’s just as delicious. Give it a shot this weekend!
Herby Orzo
Serves 4-6 as a main dish
1¼ cups (packed) chopped fresh herbs of any variety
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup olive oil
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1½ cups dried orzo
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Chop all of the herbs and combine into a large bowl (you can also put in the bottom of your serving bowl). Add the garlic, the salt and pepper, and oil; mix until well combined. Cook the orzo until it’s al dente; reserve a ½ cup of pasta water then drain orzo in a strainer. Add the orzo immediately to the bowl with the herb-oil mixture and toss to combine. Add a few tablespoons of reserved pasta water and mix together; let orzo sit for a minute or two before stirring again, adding more pasta water to loosen up any clumps of orzo. Add more S&P to taste. You can serve immediately, or let it cool to a warm temperature, or refrigerate and serve cold later.