An "Italian" Tribute to the Farmer's Market

Last night was one of the rare Friday evenings we have to spend at home, making dinner and relaxing. With summer coming to an end, I decided to give tribute to the farmer's market with a fresh orzo pasta dish. Although I did not follow a recipe, I will try to convert it into one below, but you can play with it to make it your own. It turned out to be very tasty!

Creamy Tomato Basil Orzo with Chicken
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 tbsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 cups orzo pasta
4 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
8 roma tomatoes (mine were a mix of small to medium size)
3 large handfuls of fresh basil, chopped
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
3 lemons, juiced through a strainer
3/4 cup of half-and-half (a little less than half of a one pint carton)
1/4-1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (preferably freshly grated)
Salt and Pepper

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the tomatoes for about 30 seconds (this makes it easy to peel the skin off of the tomatoes!). Strain and cool. Peel off skin, dice the tomatoes and set aside.

Drizzle 2 tbsp. olive oil over chicken, sprinkle with salt, pepper, dried basil and dried oregano. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let the chicken cool and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Meanwhile, bring the chicken stock to a boil, add the orzo. Boil for about one minute, then bring it down to medium heat and cover, stirring frequently, for about 7 minutes. (The orzo will absorb quite a bit of the stock). Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Add the chicken to the orzo. (Note: you can also boil the orzo in water just like you would normal pasta, but I find the chicken stock adds a lot of flavor!)

In a large frying pan, add 1 tbsp olive oil, heat it up, then add tomatoes. Soon after, add lemon juice and garlic. Bring to a simmer. Once tomatoes are slightly softened and heated through, add the basil and half-and-half. Simmer until the sauce reduces a bit. Add parmesan cheese to thicken the sauce.

Add the sauce to the chicken and orzo. Toss together, and serve. 4 (generous!) servings as a main dish, omit the chicken and it can easily serve 6 as a side dish.

I bought the tomatoes and basil from the farmer's market - you can really tell the difference (especially the fresh MN-grown tomatoes). This would be a great, inexpensive dish to entertain with. You could also omit the chicken and place grilled, seasoned white fish filets (halibut, etc.) over the pasta on a big plate for a great presentation.

To pair with this dish, we tried the Marques de Caceres 2006 Rioja. This Spanish white wine (made from the Viura grape) was on sale at World Market for $6.99. A great value! It was dry and crisp with notes of citrus - a great complement to the creamy, lemony tomato sauce.

I'd love to hear about your favorite farmer's market recipe!