2 weeks Ago By Nigel Slater
If I could choose just one dish for a cold autumn evening, it would be this calming, gentle pasta recipe with its creamy texture and mild smoky notes. The cheese melts into strings. Peel and thinly slice 3 cloves of garlic .
Warm 30g of butter in a deep saucepan over a moderate heat, stir in the garlic and fry for a few minutes until pale gold. Add 200g of orzo and 500ml of hot vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Lower heat immediately and let it simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Pour in 200ml of milk and continue simmering and occasionally stirring. Pull the leaves off 8 bushy sprigs of thyme , (about 1 tbsp of leaves) and chop them, then stir into the orzo together with a good half tsp of salt and a grinding or two of black pepper. Coarsely grate 75g of smoked mozzarella .
When the orzo is plump and tender and the texture is similar to that of a risotto, stir in the grated mozzarella and divide between two bowls. Serves 2-3. Ready in 30 minutes Once the orzo is ready you could tip it into an ovenproof dish, scatter the top with grated parmesan and place it under a hot grill until golden.
It is important, once 15 minutes have passed, to stir the dish carefully as it simmers. It will stop it sticking, but more importantly, make the texture even creamier. Follow Nigel on Instagram @NigelSlater.
