Artichoke Orzotto with Toasted Pine Nuts by Great British Chefs

We are delighted to bring you this comforting main course recipe of Artichoke Orzotto with Toasted Pine Nuts. It’s so easy to prepare and the orzo is a wonderful alternative to rice.

Recipe Courtesy of Great British Chefs

Serves: 4

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Equipment

• 20cm Copper Tri-Ply Saucepan
• 12cm Mini Copper Tri-Ply Frying Pan

Ingredients

• 280g of artichoke hearts, (approx. 1 jar of marinated artichokes in oil)
• 70g of unsalted butter
• 1 leek, finely sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 150ml of white wine
• 300g of orzo
• 800ml of vegetable stock
• 1 handful of soft herbs, chopped (we used parsley, chives and tarragon)
• 80g of Parmesan, grated
• 1 lemon, zested

Cooking Method

1. Melt 20g of the butter in a saucepan and sweat the leeks and garlic until soft but without colour. Add a pinch of salt.
2. Add the orzo to the pan followed by the wine. Reduce by half.
3. Once the wine has reduced, add the warm stock, a ladle at a time, until the orzo is cooked through. Wait for the stock to be absorbed by the orzo before adding another.
4. As the orzo is cooking, place two-thirds of the artichokes in a blender along with the oil. Reserve the remaining third to fold through at the end. Blend the the artichokes to a smooth and creamy purée, adding a splash of water if needed. Taste and season with salt.
5. Once the orzo is just cooked, fold through the puree and stir through until warmed.
6. Turn off the heat and fold through the Parmesan and remaining butter. Place a lid on the pan and leave to sit for 5 minutes before serving.
7. As the risotto rests, toast a handful of pine nuts in a hot dry pan until golden.

To serve

1. To finish, stir through plenty of fresh herbs and some lemon zest and garnish with the toasted pine nuts.