Not a risotto

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Recently I've been in a spate of either thinking of blog and then realising I've already blogged that dish, or cooking something new and finding I don't have any meaningful words to constitute a blog about it. 

That is starting to change slightly, as I only started contributing to this blog towards the end of last year and that does at least help with cooking things I haven't blogged before.

The conflict I've felt around blogging seems to reflect a more general internal conflict at the moment. I've been desperately waiting for the easing of travel restrictions to walk somewhere even slightly different. Now that they have started to ease I'm finding myself torn between the desire to make the most of the freedom (who knows how long it will last), and worry that I am being reckless (and thus contributing to the freedoms not lasting). In many respects this stage was the trickiest last time around, and its not any easier this time.

Anyway there's always food. This is another Green Roasting Tin recipe and is a quick cook leek orzotto with asparagus, hazelnuts and rocket. As you may guess from the title the base for this is orzo rather than arborio rice. 

A bottle of lemon juice, a leek, a packet of orzo, asparagus, a bottle of olive oil, a packet of rocket, and a packet of hazelnuts assembled on a kitchen counter

Start by mixing the orzo with vegetable stock. This was a tricky part for me to balance the quantities. The recipe helpfully gave quantities for 3-4 portions, a vagueness which doesn't help when trying to adjust for one. I was also slightly short on orzo and a little too generous with stock which resulted in a rather liquid end dish.

Coat the leeks and asparagus with olive oil and add them to the orzo mix, along with hazelnuts. Put in the oven for 20 minutes and try not to get too distracted with #ConfinedCocktails discussion. Remove for the oven and stir through rocket, olive oil, and lemon juice.

A view of a casserole dish from above. The dish contains sliced leeks, asparagus, and hazelnuts on top of an orzo and stock mix

The end result is green, healthy, and spring like while also have a carby comforting feel to it.

Now to decide how to spend my Sunday afternoon since I've largely finished my to do list (although I'm sure there's more I 'should' be doing).  

A mix of cooked orzo, leeks, asparagus, hazelnuts and rocket on a yellow plate. Liquid is pooling around the edge of plate. There is a silver spoon on the left of the plate and a silver fork on the right.

Comments

  1. Kate Evans25 April 2021 at 17:14

    I agree with you about this stage being tricky. It feels like endlessly having to make difficult decisions.
    This looks like a good recipe though - I’m a late convert to the Roasting Tin books, but I like the one I have (Around the World) so I might invest in some more.

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    1. Helen D25 April 2021 at 17:37

      This is the only Roasting Tin book I have, but you'll notice 90% of the recipes I blog come from it and I frequently recommend it to friends.

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  2. Helen D25 April 2021 at 17:35

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  3. Melinda25 April 2021 at 18:42

    This does sound familiar from last easing. Except weirdly I'm sure it'll last this time (vaccine magic, apparently, thinks my subconscious) and instead I am determined to ease myself back gently for my own sake rather than others'. Much as I've chafed at the dullest lockdowns, there have been so many good things I don't want to rush to lose. Which is equally bewildering but a bit less stressful; I slightly recommend it.

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    1. Helen D25 April 2021 at 19:09

      I think I am slightly more confident of this easing lasting, just don't want to take it for granted. You're right that there have been good things that we need to find a way to incorporate into whatever's next.

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  4. Katy25 April 2021 at 19:22

    Hard agree with everything you mention Helen. I’m at the stage of needing more exercise and outdoor-ness, but don’t want to be the person the air ambulance has to come to for a broken leg on the hills when there are more important things for healthcare workers to be dealing with.

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    1. Helen D25 April 2021 at 19:53

      Oh yes, that guilt of possibly being an additional burden is familiar! I hope you feel able to take small, low risk steps back into the great outdoors soon.

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