Prep: 15 min // Cook: 30 min
What is it?
This is a delightful comfort food for the whole family that I found in my Gousto recipes.
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Recipe
You can find most of Gousto's recipes online on their website, but this one has my personal touches like Orzo instead of rice plus my superb secret ingredient, the Tracklements Fresh Chilli Jam which is so pleasantly mild and mellow that even kids will happily consume this dish! The peppery sweetness from the jam and the cooked peppers, along with the vinegar kick and the paprika makes this dish so comfortably warm and Mediterranean; an ideal meal for the cold dark winters to relish the opportunity of daydreaming warmer days.
Equipment
Kettle, Soup ladle, Large anti-stick pan, a big bowl
Ingredients
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves
3 bell peppers
300-340g Orzo
2 tbsp sweet chilli jam or sweet chilli sauce (use less if your chilli sauce is too spicy)
50g cheddar or parmesan cheese, grated
30ml Apple vinegar (or Chinese rice vinegar)
70g tomato paste
1 tsp turmeric
1.5 tsp smoked paprika
1,2 lt water + vegetable bouillon (or cubes)
Fresh parsley or chives to serve
Method
Preheat the oven to 180c (160c fan)
Deseed the peppers and cut them into strips. Line a baking tray with baking paper and spread the pepper strips with a drizzle of olive oil and salt/pepper. Bake for 25 min until roasted and softened:
Prepare your vegetable stock. Boil the water and dissolve 2 vegetable cubes (or 2 tsp vegetable bouillon powder), the tomato paste, the sweet chilli sauce and the apple vinegar. Set it aside for later, this is your sweet tomato stock.
Heat a large anti-stick pan with 2 tbsp olive oil and some butter (optionally) and sweat the onion with some pepper on medium heat for 4-5 min. Finely chop or grate the garlic.
Add the turmeric and smoked paprika and cook for 30 sec. Stir in the orzo and the garlic and cook for another 1 min.
Using a soup ladle 1/3 of the sweet tomato stock and stir continuously until it's completely absorbed. Now, this is the secret to a successful risotto/orzotto: stir continuously and never leave it dry out completely. Continue adding stock, 1 ladle at a time, stirring for the next 15-20 mins until the stock is absorbed and the orzo is cooked.
Remove the peppers from the oven and stir half of them into the orzotto along with the grated cheddar (or parmesan) and remove from heat. Stir until the cheese is melted and incorporated.
Serve with some pepper strips and chopped fresh herbs.
Shopping List
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Sweet Chilli Jam
I would absolutely recommend going for Tracklements Fresh Chilli Jam. It is so pleasantly mild and mellow that will liven up your palate. Also, rest assured the rest of the product won't go unused. Use it in risottos and soups, spread it on a cheese sandwich or serve it as a chutney on a cheese board!
Shop the Look. If you liked my setups in the photos, here is the list of items you can buy to build the same look:
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