Perusing my new old favorite cookbook, How to Cook Without a Book: Recipes and Techniques Every Cook Should Know by HeartI saw the section on orzo, so bought a box at the store. Why have I never cooked this before? We play around with little pastas all the time, yet somehow this was a new one. She has lots of flavor combos, but I opted for the simple butter and Parmesan version, although the lemon and parsley sounded great, too.

Anderson says you can cook it like pasta (lots of water, then drain) or like rice (with measured ratios of water to pasta, although, as an aside, you can also cook rice like pasta if you’d like, in lots of water and then drain). Not having made it before I opted for her “rice-like” method. This made a great side dish for the maple-Dijon chicken thighs I made the same night.

1 quart water
1/2 pound orzo (1 1/3 cups)
1 tsp salt
2 Tbs olive oil or butter
1/4 cup or more grated Parmesan
black pepper to taste

Bring the water to a boil. Add the orzo and salt and stir. Cook uncovered 8-9 minutes, until the orzo is soft and has absorbed most of the water. Add the butter or oil, cheese, and pepper to taste. Stir and serve.

This was her plain version. The variations include blue cheese and walnuts; basil and pine nuts; tomatoes, feat, and olives; roasted red peppers and basil; and spinach and Parmesan.