Jammy Tomato Orzo

This is by far one of my favorite ways to use jammy tomatoes and was sort of the original intent for them. The options and versatility of the tomatoes combined with orzo can be taken in so many directions. I love doing a greek variation by roasting 1/2 the original jammy tomato recipe with oregano and when it’s done and cooled, adding fresh parsley, maybe some dill and/or mint along with fresh halved cherry tomatoes, Kalamata olives, diced cucumber, and sliced red onion. You can fuck off the orzo entirely, swapping it with cooked rice with cumin and Mexican oregano if you wanted to riff on Mexican rice, or trade the orzo for couscous etc

See what I mean?

The options

Jammy Tomato Orzo

1/2 recipe of Jammy Tomatoes

1 cup orzo

4 ounces of feta, crumbled (or what other cheese? Maybe no cheese?)

2 big handfuls of chopped basil and parsley (or dill? or mint? or a combination of both? Cilantro if you wanted to try the Mexican rice sitch?)

A lemon or splash or vinegar

Cook the orzo in a pot of heavily salted, boiling water according to package instructions.

Drain the orzo, don’t rinse, and don’t even bother trying to shake out all the water. Pasta water, especially when salted properly prior to cooking your pasta, is such a valuable addition to a lot of pasta dishes as it contains not only the salt but the starch from the pasta as well.

Add to the jammy tomatoes, stir well to combine, add in whatever cheese you’re using if any at all, as well as the herbs and any olives or other fresh veggies you’ve landed on. Taste it and decide if it needs a little more salt and/or pepper. In this specific recipe and most variations I like to add the zest of half a lemon as well as half the juice from one lemon. No lemon? Try a splash of red wine vinegar as I do with most tomato based dishes/sauces. For more kitchen tips such as this, or why we salt our pasta water, see here.

This dish is exceptional warm, room temp, or even chilled. Serve along side the protein of your choice or add in some warmed beans or chick peas for a vegetarian option.