Tomato, Basil and White Wine Orzo

Ingredients

• 150g dried orzo pasta
• 100g plum tomatoes (halved)
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1/2 red chilli (finely chopped)
• Handful fresh basil
• 6-10 basil flowers (for garnish - these aren't essential)
• 1 shallot (finely chopped)
• 50ml white wine

Method

1. Place the pasta within a saucepan full of salted boiling water and leave on a rolling boil for 8-10 minutes (or however long it says on the pack of pasta).
2. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan on a medium heat and add a splash of rapeseed oil (much less cholesterol than olive oil). Add the chopped shallot, chilli, garlic and plum tomatoes to the pan and stir for 5 minutes.
3. Add the white wine to the frying pan and leave it for another 3-4 minutes to reduce down.
4. Once the pasta is finished, take it off the heat, drain it and rinse thoroughly in cold water. Now salt/pepper the orzo and add it directly to the frying pan.
5. Add a the juice of the lemon and the fresh basil (rip the basil leaves into smaller chunks with your hands - don't chop them with a knife), and then mix everything together thoroughly. Leave this for a maximum of two minutes until the pasta has heated back up.
6. Serve the pasta onto a round plate or bowl and sprinkle over the basil flowers as a nice looking garnish. If you grow basil then you'll be able to just pick these off the tops of the plant - they taste really good and have a subtle aniseed flavour.