SUN-DRIED TOMATO AND HERBED/CHEESED BAKED ORZO

Sun-Dried Tomato and Herbed/Cheesed Baked Orzo image

Provided by Citruholic

Categories < 60 Mins

Time 35m

Yield 4 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 15

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1 cup orzo pasta
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
salt and pepper
2 medium sized shallots, finely minced
1 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
butter (to dot)
1 -2 garlic clove (more or less to taste, depending on how much you like garlic)
2 cups chicken stock (room temp or simmering,low sodium) or 2 cups broth (room temp or simmering,low sodium)
1/2 cup cream
1/3 cup chopped sun-dried tomato
1/4 cup minced fresh basil
1/4 cup mined fresh Italian parsley
1/2 cup grated Fontina cheese
1/2 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese (divided, regular parmesan can be substituted)

Steps:

Heat olive oil and butter over medium/high heat in saucepan til hot. Add shallots and cook til translucent, but not brown. Add chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Cook 1 minute more, stirring and moving mixture around constantly. Add garlic, cooking one minute more. Be careful at this point not to burn garlic or all will be ruined.
Add 1 cup orzo to saucepan, constantly stirring and toasting the pasta for 1 to 2 minutes. Add chicken broth, and crank heat up to high to bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper for seasoning, being careful not to over-salt, as parmesano reggiano has a high salt content. When boil is reached, cover and reduce to simmer and cover til most of liquid is absorbed. You want SOME liquid to remain.
Transfer to a bowl. Add fontina cheese and 1/4 cup parmesan, basil and parsley. Add cream. Stir well. Transfer to 2-quart buttered/greased ramekin or equivalent and cover the top with the mixture of Italian seasoned bread crumbs and remaining 1/4 cup reggiano cheese.
Dot top with bits of butter and bake in 375 oven for approximately 30 minutes.
Serve immediately, grating more reggiano over dish if desired.