Tomato Orzo

Better than it ought to be…

I saw two Diana Henry recipes on Instagram last week: Tomato risotto with mozzarella; Chicken, basil, parmesan and spinach meatballs baked with orzo. They each sounded delicious, but somehow I got them mixed up when I was buying ingredients. I’m delighted with the resulting concoction though – real comfort food.

• 400g cherry tomatoes – these are the star, so get good ones!

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion or 2 shallots, chopped finely
• 1 clove garlic, chopped finely

• 400g orzo
• 500ml passata
• 1 tablespoon vegetable stock powder – marigold is good
• handful of basil
• 10 sprigs of thyme

• 150g Mozzarella, torn into 8 pieces – drained weight
• 40g Parmesan, grated

Preheat oven to 180°C. Boil about a litre of water and pour over the tomatoes in a bowl to skin them. A faff, I know, but quite satisfying and they are the star ingredient after all. After a minute or two, remove the tomatoes from the bowl with a slotted spoon. Reserve the water. The skins should peel off easily between your fingers. If you can be bothered, drop the skins back into the hot water. For bonus points, channel your inner Heston Blumenthal and add the tomato stems to the bowl too, as they have loads of flavour.

Heat the oil in a medium pan and cook the onion and garlic over gentle heat with salt and plenty of pepper until translucent – you’re not after deep colour, but a little golden tinge wouldn’t go amiss.

Stir in the orzo and then add the passata, hopefully without splatting everywhere when you open it, like I did; plus 500ml of the tomato infused water you reserved. Add the skinned tomatoes; stock powder; and the herbs (reserving a few leaves to garnish the finished dish). Pour into a baking dish large enough for the mixture to fill just over half way up the sides (it will expand as the pasta cooks). Sprinkle with Parmesan and bake for ten minutes.

After the ten minutes are up, the dish should be bubbling and most of the liquid absorbed. If it looks dry, add a little more of the reserved tomato skin water. Nestle the Mozzarella balls evenly into the orzo, trying not to disturb all the melting Parmesan on the top. Bake for another 10 minutes or so until the Mozzarella is gooey and the Parmesan is burnished. Would be lovely sprinkled with the remaining herbs and served with a green salad with a sharp dressing and crusty bread.