Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Baked Orzo with Fontina and Peas

I served this last night at book club, and it seemed to be enjoyed by all. It is super easy (except for maybe the cheese grating, which I do not have a talent for) and great for big groups.

Baked Orzo with Fontina and Peas
Courtesy of Giada DiLaurentiis and Food Network

4 cups chicken broth
1 pound orzo pasta
3 tablespoons butter, plus more to grease the baking dish
1 onion, chopped
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 cup Marsala wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 ounces shredded fontina cheese (about 1 cup)
4 ounces diced fresh mozzarella cheese (about 1 cup)
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon dried thyme

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 13-inch baking dish.

Bring the chicken broth to a boil over medium-high heat in a medium saucepan. Add the orzo and cook until almost tender, about 7 minutes. Pour the orzo and the broth into a large bowl. Set aside.

Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium heat in a medium skillet. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to saute until the mushrooms are beginning to turn golden around the edges, about 7 minutes. Add the Marsala. Scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan and cook until the Marsala has reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the mushroom mixture to the orzo in the large bowl. Add the cream, fontina, mozzarella, peas, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.

In a small bowl combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, and dried thyme. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture on top of the pasta. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes.

HaiVy's Edits: I added 3 cloves of garlic to give the dish some more flavor and an extra handful of fontina cheese, just because I love both. I also cut back on the bread crumbs to about 1/3 cup and the peas to about 3/4 cup because I'm not crazy about either of those.

1 comment:

Christina Tibesar said...

It was SO good! Can't wait to make it myself!