It's Wednesday evening …

… veggie or not, here I come!

Tonight it's orzotto with miso roasted mushrooms.

If you've not come across orzo before let me enlighten you, orzo is a pasta and it looks exactly like rice. If you're a lover of risotto but haven't the time or the inclination to make it when you come home from a hard day at work, orzotto is the answer.

Orzotto

Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped finely

260g orzo pasta

425ml chicken stock (or vegetable)

75ml dry white wine

2 tbsps lemon juice

200g frozen petit pois

2 tbsp fresh pesto

bunch of flat leaf parsley, chopped

75g parmesan cheese, grated

black pepper

extra grated parmesan to serve

Heat the oil in a large frying pan on a medium heat and fry the onion for 2/3 minutes. Add the dry white wine and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in orzo and cook for 1-2 minutes and then add the stock all at once. Simmer and stir occasionally for 7/8 minutes until nearly cooked. Stir in the lemon juice and the frozen peas. Simmer for a minute and then add the parmesan cheese and continue to simmer for 2 minutes until the peas are cooked then add the pesto and the parsley.

Season to taste with black pepper and serve with an extra sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

If you want to omit the wine increase the stock to 500ml.

It's up to you what you do

If you want to weigh your ingredients ahead I can only tell you that it doesn't take long at all and the pleasure you'll get when it takes you 15 minutes to cook and you're ready to serve is not to be sniffed at. The choice – as they say – is yours!

Photo-guide up next.