Vegetable Orzo Pasta

This is a delicious dish all year around, as orzo works perfectly with vegetables. The fluffy golden pasta pieces soaking up the mushroom tomato sauce, smokey grilled aubergines and crunchy pine nuts.......ahhhhhh! Its very light, full of texture, color and flavor. You can play around with the vegetables used, adding courgettes instead of aubergine or asparagus, roasting the peppers instead of cooking adding it in raw. A visual and tummy pleaser. 

Recipe:

500 grams Orzo pasta 

3 medium onions chopped

1 green bell pepper chopped

6 cloves of garlic chopped finely

10-15 cherry tomatoes

1 big aubergine 1/2" thick 

2 small boxes of fresh mushroom

4-5 slices dried porcini mushroom soaked in hot water

Splash of Tabasco

1 big spoon of tomato paste

2 slices of sun dried tomatoes

Oregano

White Pepper

Black pepper

Sea salt

Olive oil

2 handfuls of pine nuts roasted

Fresh lemon juice 

Few sprigs of thyme

Big handful of fresh basil 

Small handful of fresh parsley 

Parmesan Cheese

Method:

Saute the mushrooms in a little olive oil and season with white pepper and oregano for 5-10 mins adding the salt last and set aside. Sweat the onions for 5-10 min and add the tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, garlic, porcini mushrooms with the water it was soaking in, bell pepper, salt, pinch of white pepper, more oregano,  splash of lemon juice, Tabasco and a small amount of basil and parsley. Add the sauteed mushrooms and let the water reduce for 10 mins, by now the tomatoes will have burst creating a sauce. Grate Parmesan cheese to your liking on the sauce. 

In a hot grill pan, place the aubergines and in a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon, oregano, thyme, black pepper and salt and brush on the aubergines every time you flip it until it is completely grilled. 

Dry roast the pine nuts in a small frying pan, making sure you are watching over it as it burns very easily. Once golden remove and place in a small bowl.  

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water for 5 minutes and drain. Add a bit of olive oil once you return it to the pan.

To assemble, place the orzo on a serving plate and add the warm mushroom tomato sauce then the aubergines, topping it with grated Parmesan cheese, basil and pine nuts.