Name: Tomato, Basil and White Wine Orzo
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 12 min
Yield: 2 people
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; 2 tsp rapeseed oil

If you’ve note tried orzo before then you’re missing out. It’s a type of pasta that feels and looks almost like arborio rice (the kind you use in a risotto), but it has that fresh pasta taste. Laura often makes up some orzo and has it cold within salads, taking it to work for lunch mid-week. I prefer if hot within recipes like this, but it’s also great as a leftover when it’s gone cold! Just a quick note that the cooking time of the orzo pasta will vary so just check on the back of the pack before you get going. It usually takes between 8-10 minutes though, so not long at all. Tomato, Basil and White Wine Orzo

Tomato, Basil and White Wine Orzo

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 12 minutes

Serves: 2 people

Serving size: 204g

Calories per serving: 374

Fat per serving: 6.4g

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
2 tsp rapeseed oil

Method

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).
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.
Add the white wine to the frying pan and leave it for another 3-4 minutes to reduce down.
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.
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.
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.

Nutrition

Nutrition information	Per serving (204g)
Energy	1565kJ / 374kcal
Fat	6.4g
of which saturates	0.6g
Carbohydrate	63.4g
of which sugars	5.3g
Fibre	3.9g
Protein	11.4g
Salt	0g

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central for the ingredients as listed. Salt excludes seasoning added to taste. Values not shown could not be calculated reliably.