Weeknights after work are the least desirable times to start cooking. Work is tiring, commutes can be unpleasant, and by the time I get home I want to eat right now. I could order take out (and sometimes I do) but then I still have to wait for the food to arrive. And I could heat up something pre-made, but I rarely do that because I don’t find refrigerator section foods to have that much personality. So I cook at home, even when I don’t want to. This recipe for orzo with sausage and tomatoes (and some other vegetables), will be a meal you’ll be happy to cook and eat after work. 

Although cooking dinner after work can feel like a chore, I really do love it and think it’s important. I like that it makes the whole apartment fill up with the yummy smell of sauteing garlic or onions. It makes me happy that in less than hour something that didn’t exist before, that was just separate ingredients, has come together to make something tasty and filling. And also, when it goes well I love the appreciation I get when dinner has been delicious and satisfying.

Everyone should have a handful of go-to of weekday meals that they can get on the table in an hour of less. Some of mine are taco salad, spaghetti and homemade tomato sauce, roast chicken with broccoli, baked salmon, and chicken and vegetable stir fry. But sometimes, the old favorites get well…old, and so I experiment. Sometimes I experiment with recipes from other sources and sometimes I make things up based on what’s available in my house and the tiny convenience store I pass on the way home from the tube. This orzo recipe is one of those I just made up. And it’s pretty good ya’ll.

The orzo, which is pasta cut short and shaped like rice, was taking up space in my cabinet so I decided to highlight it for dinner. I especially like dinner recipes where I can fit multiple food groups together, so I decided to do something like a stir fry with sausage, tomatoes, and leafy greens. The sausage I had, the vegetables were what the conveniences store had. I figured it’d be easy and it would have protein, grain, vegetables, and fruit (the tomato I guess…) all in one. I like when the vegetables are woven throughout because it means I’m more likely to eat them than if the vegetables are kept on the side. Yes, I’m 30 years old and I have ways of tricking myself to eat vegetables.

The first time I made this I used kale instead of spinach. Ryan and I agreed we really liked the dish overall, but we really didn’t like kale. I know kale is a super food and has been impossibly trendy recently, but I just don’t like it. I’m sorry, I just don’t. No matter how it’s cooked kale always always tastes like a dead crunchy autumn leaf off of the sidewalk.

We decided for future iterations we’d use other leafy greens like spinach, but I think chard word work nicely too. Ryan also suggested adding peas, which I think adds nice color and a different texture. In fact, I think this recipe is really versatile and can easily be changed to suit your tastes. If you like kale, or collards, or whatever – use that leafy green instead. If you don’t like sausage you could do this just as easily by sauteing bite sized chunks of chicken breasts, shrimp, or tofu. It’s s-i-m-p-l-e. And that’s totally what we want for after work dinner. Also, it’s great as lunch leftovers for the next day too!

Messy level: Two spoons only because you need a pot for the orzo and a separate frying pan for everything else. Overall though, not too many dishes.

Orzo with Sausage and Tomatoes

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Serves: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 6 sausages, in whatever seasoning flavor you like (about 400g or about 1 pound)
• olive oil
• 4 medium sized round tomatoes, chopped roughly to 1" pieces (about 380g or about .8 pounds)
• 1-2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 cup orzo
• water to cook the orzo
• 3 cups spinach
• ½ cup frozen peas

Instructions

1. Remove the sausages from their casings.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot add the sausage meat. Cook the meat until cooked through. This takes about 10 minutes depending on the heat of your pan. As you cook the meat, use a wooden spoon to break the sausage up into bite sized pieces.
3. Cover a plate with a paper towel and put the cooked sausage on top. Try to pour out as much of the grease from the skillet as you can, but it doesn't have to be perfectly clean. This step helps to drain off the excess grease. You can skip this step if you want, but the overall dish will taste nicer without the grease.
4. Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to boil. Once it's boiling generously salt the water. Add the orzo to the water and cook for 8 minutes (or check package for timing recommendations). When the orzo is done cooking, drain the water and set the orzo aside.
5. Return the empty skillet you used before back to the stove. Add a splash of olive oil if the pan is dry. Once the oil is hot, add the tomatoes, garlic, tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until the tomatoes are losing their juices and everything is starting to simmer. Taste and adjust seasonings if you need to.
6. Add the spinach to the skillet. Stir the spinach in until it starts to wilt, about 1-2 minutes.
7. Next add the frozen peas. Stir the peas in until they lose their frozen look and start to turn brighter green, about 1 minute.
8. Now add the sausage and orzo to the skillet. Mix so everything is coated with the tomato juices and the vegetables are distributed throughout.
9. Serve in a bowl or on a plate.

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When I think about risotto, two things come to mind. I think about the episode of Seinfeld where George’s girlfriend eats the risotto, is satisfied, and George is weird and jealous. It’s awkward, hilarious, full of innuendo, and classic Seinfeld. If you haven’t seen it, watch the clip in the link. The second thing I think about when it comes to risotto is Top Chef. Every time someone on Top Chef makes risotto everyone talks about what a risk it is, how ridiculous that chef is for trying, then it comes out terribly, and the chef gets blasted by the judges. So with all those associations together, I was intimidated about making risotto.

A few years ago I got over my fears and I made risotto for the first time. The recipe used a kobocha squash (which is also kind of daunting), and it was just gloriously delicious. It was amazing and I was in adoration of risotto. And that’s when I realized, “oh it’s not that hard and it’s fantastic.” The thing about risotto is that it takes some time and lots of attention. When you usually make rice you simply get it started, set a timer, and walk away. Risotto on the other hand needs you next to it the entire time. In short, risotto is a needy baby.

However, even though risotto needs you, you shouldn’t be overwhelmed. Risotto needs you to stir regularly for about 20 minutes. We can all do that! Also, this is the reason I think the people on Top Chef fail. They’re too busy running around, sweating, and cursing to stir the risotto. But you? You can do it! I think you could even turn on the TV and watch that 20 minute episode of Seinfeld as you stood by your stove and prepared your filling risotto.

I also want to tell you two other good things about risotto and one annoying thing. First, the good. Risotto is a lovely way to pack a variety of veggies and meat into a one pot dish. One pot dishes that incorporate a variety of food groups are my holy grail for dinner time.  When I saw this recipe for bacon and vegetable risotto in the magazine Great British Food, I was instantly hooked. I want to eat more vegetables, Ryan would prefer a little meat with dinner, and a dish like this can satisfy both of us.  It’s also really easy to change what goes into your risotto. You could add shrimp instead of bacon, asparagus instead of the soy beans. Once you know the basic method for cooking the rice, then it isn’t too hard to experiment with what goes in the rice.

The other thing I love about risotto is that it is so creamy. A hunk of butter and a bunch of cheese gets thrown in at the very end and turns something that looks like a nicely cooked stir fry into a rice and hearty wave of flavor. It’s that sticky, creamy texture that makes risotto special. However, it’s that very thing that can make risotto go wrong. Overcooking it can turn everything into glue, and that’s sticky in a bad way. So, stay near your risotto, check it occasionally as you think it’s about to finish, and serve it immediately. Once it cools all the way it will thicken up and won’t be very nice.

You might be confused about some of the ingredient conversions. Since this recipe came from a UK magazine, the ingredient amounts are listed in grams. I have tried to make the conversions as best as a I could, but for the bacon, soy beans, and peas that amounts don’t have to be perfect. They don’t have to be perfect because they are the add-ins and as long as you don’t add way too much or way too little the whole dish will still cook evenly. And finally, this recipe makes a ton of food. Seriously, it serves 6-8 people. Cut the recipe in half if there are fewer people. Better yet, invite some friends over and share this goodness with friends.

Adapted from Great British Food magazine, May 2015.

Bacon and Vegetable Risotto

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

55 mins

 

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 200g/ about 1 cup bacon lardons
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 400g/ 1⅔ cup arborio rice
• 1.5 liters/6.5 cups vegetable stock (you might not use all of it)
• 1 teaspoon thyme leaves
• 200g/about 1 cup frozen soy beans
• 200g/about 1.5 cups frozen peas
• 50g/1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• hunk of butter, about 2 tablespoons
• pepper

Instructions

1. In a large pot heat the vegetable stock until it is lightly simmering. Let it keep simmering throughout the cooking process.
2. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large pan. Seriously, use your pan with the largest diameter.
3. Once the oil is hot, add the bacon and cook until lightly brown.
4. Add the onions to the oil and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
5. Stir in the garlic and arborio rice and cook for 1 minute to toast.
6. Pour in about half the stock (enough to cover the rice) and cook for 10 minutes. Adjust the heat as needed so the whole thing is bubbling happily but not ferociously boiling.
7. Add the soy beans and stir.
8. Add a ladle full of stock and stir. Repeat. This is where you need to be nearby. Basically, you're adding a ladle full of stock, stir, and then add more stock once the first stock is mostly absorbed. Keep adding stock until the rice is cooked. It's ready when the rice is tender and you have a saucy consistency. Your goal is to have this whole cooking process done in about 20 minutes (might be less, might be more that's ok).
9. When the rice is cooked, add the peas and cook for 1 minute more.
10. Remove from the heat.
11. Stir in the butter and Parmesan.
12. Season with some pepper and serve immediately.

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On Tuesday, Ryan and I had an appointment to set up a bank account. We arrive at the bank and the person we were supposed to meet was out sick. Also, part of the ceiling had collapsed so things were a mess. We had to reschedule. Sigh.

I then had an appointment to see an apartment. The place was very close to the tube station and in a cute development, but in a very residential place, and we wanted something a little more urban. I get to the place and the owner shows me around. Some parts were really nice, and some parts were not. There was black gunk on the bathroom floors! It must have shown in my face because the owner asked me twice why I didn’t like it. Awkward.

Next, I went to a department store to buy some underwear. (Sorry for the intimate detail) The sizing is all different and I’m holding things up and Googling size conversions to see what might work.

Finally, I went to a coffee shop. I had a huge pile of coins in my purse and I was trying to figure out if I had enough to pay (because I don’t know the coins by heart yet) and then I spilled everything all over the floor. So embarrassing! Ryan and I had just read an article that said only Americans help other people in distress. And maybe that’s true, because no one offered to help me clean up my scattered coins. I took my coffee and pastry and slunk to a hidden seat in the back of the cafe.

But, the day turned around and Ryan and I explored a new neighborhood and had a great dinner at a small Turkish restaurant.

Since then, I’ve had some really great wins too. I went to the Globe Theatre! I love Shakespeare. Ten years ago, I visited London and didn’t see the Globe and I’ve regretted it ever since. I decided to walk there and I’m so glad I did! It was sunny, I walked along the Thames and took pictures of the skyline. The theatre itself was pretty impressive and I loved learning the history. I loved picturing what it would have been like in Shakespeare’s day, and I hope I can convince someone to see a show with me there.

I then got lunch and ate outside along the Thames. Only a few weeks ago I was in DC surrounded by snow, and here I am now eating lunch outside.

Ryan and I also have successfully set up a bank account, done some laundry, and gone to the grocery store.

In general I love going to the grocery store, and it has been especially fun seeing the new and different things here in London. Grocery shopping and cooking has really helped this place feel like home. There’s so much here I don’t know how to do, but shopping and cooking feels like an adventure I do know about, and is something I can do well.

They have all kinds of cool stuff in the grocery store. Their cheese section is huge! Seriously, there are about 4 different sections for cheese. There’s also a huge section for beans. The portion sizes are way smaller than we’re used to. The family sized juice is about the size of regular juice. The eggs aren’t refrigerated. But what I really thought was cool was that the cartons tell you the breed of chicken. I also saw quail and duck eggs, which I’ve never seen before. I will definitely need to figure out how to use those. There’s also beet juice! I need to try that, although I’m a bit afraid. Also, I saw brown sugar, which is totally normal. But, it was advertised as “treacly.” I didn’t know what that meant, so I had to look  it up. Finally the milk jugs look different and so do Starbucks to-go drinks.

Also, next time I go to the store I’m going to do a “myth busters” edition, where I’ll hunt down all the things people said we couldn’t find here in London. Stay tuned!

Anyway, I didn’t go crazy shopping in the store. Ryan and I are in temporary housing so I don’t want to make things that need a lot of ingredients. I need recipes that are low maintenance, can be made exclusively on the stove, and fairly healthy. A stir fry seemed perfect.

This is really an improv dish, so use the vegetables you like and trust your instincts. Use more veggies if you like. Cook until it looks good to you. Do what feels right. This is a super easy dish, quick, and great for people not wanting to do a ton of work.

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked rice

1 large carrot

1 1/2 cup broccoli florets

½ cup peas

4 (or more) white mushrooms

1 pound chicken breast, cut into chunks

About 2 tbsp of concentrated chicken stock (you could also use regular chicken stock, I just bought the small concentrated packets from the store)

olive oil

salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Put 1 cup of rice and 2 cups of water in a medium sauce pan. Heat on high until the water comes to a boil. Turn the heat to low, cover the pot, and let simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the water is absorbed.

2. On medium high, heat a little oil in a sauce pan. Add the carrots and broccoli. Season with salt and pepper if you like. Add 1/2 the chicken stock concentrate. Also add about 1 tbsp of water to help make the stock saucy. Cook the vegetables for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally but not constantly. It might take longer than 10 minutes, but you want the vegetables to be easily chewable with a little bit of crunch.

3. Remove from pan, add a splash of olive oil, then add the mushrooms and peas. You’re doing this in steps so everything can cook evenly and the vegetables that need longer get longer. Cook for about 5+ minutes. You want the peas to be soft and mushrooms to be soft and a bit smaller and wilted.

4. Remove mushrooms and peas from pan. Add a flick of olive oil and add the chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the chicken is all the way cooked through. This could take as little as 5 minutes, but close to 10 minutes depending on thickness of the meat.

5. When the chicken is all the way cooked through, add all the vegetables back in. Add the rest of the chicken stock and another tablespoon of water. Stir to get everything coated. Taste it and adjust seasonings as necessary.

6. Serve the stir fry on top of the rice. Eat and enjoy!

Messy level: 2 spoons. The messiest part is just switching out everything between the pans. You could do everything in multiple pans if you wanted, but I only have 2 burners, and that would be super messy. Mostly, this is a super clean dish.

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