This recipe represents one of my favorite ways to cook. Look in the fridge, see what I have and toss something delicious together.
Dinner at home the other night was suppose to be out.
Hubs wanted to hit up the open mic at a local bar to promote his new album, and I was to tag along for wife support and videographer (assuming I figured that function on my camera out…). The rain ended up keeping us home, the real reason – he wouldn’t make it up in time for sign up by public transportation. My reason, we just wanted to stay home and watch Stargate – we were getting towards the end of the season.
Anyhoo, I digress. Back to the food.
Since, I hadn’t planned on cooking, grocery shopping hadn’t happened yet for the week. All that was left in the fridge was by way of what I had from my CSA. I can’t begin to tell you happy it makes me that veggies received 3 weeks ago were still fresh. That friends, is the truth of belonging to a CSA or shopping from a farmer’s market.
If I bought that leek at a grocery store and stored it the same way for three weeks, it would have been rotten by now. However, getting at item straight out of of the ground that is only one or two days old, what an amazing difference!
Recipe:8oz uncooked orzo 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/2 tablespoon olive oil 1 leek, tender green and white parts, halved and thinly sliced 1 small bunch baby rainbow chard, cut into chiffonade
salt and pepper Bulgarian Feta cheese (optional)
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the orzo according to package directions, about 9 -10 minutes, drain and set aside.
In a large saute pan, melt 1 tablespoon butter and the olive oil over medium heat. Add the leeks, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently until softened about 4-5 minutes.
Once the leeks are softened and start to brown a little, add the rainbow chard. If the pan seems a little dry, add another teaspoon of olive oil to the chard and leek mixture. Cook for an additional 5-6 minutes until the chard is completely wilted and cooked through.
Add the drained orzo to the pan, the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of butter and season with plenty of salt and pepper. Stir to combine the ingredients well, taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
To serve, top with Bulgarian Feta cheese. This makes an excellent side dish to some roasted chicken, pork chops or fish!