Orzo with Roasted Vegetables, Basil, and Feta

[Edith K. Thurmond]

Serves 4-6 / Serve with crusty bread and a light salad for a fabulous springtime dinner. It's a great addition to a buffet brunch or lunch.

1 small red bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 small yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 small orange bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
6 thins stalks asparagus, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 pint red grape tomatoes, halved
1 large shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup orzo
1 1/4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
2 tablespoons sliced fresh basil
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss bell peppers, asparagus, tomatoes, shallot, and garlic with 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large baking dish. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes, turning once or twice with a spatula. (Time can vary with ovens).
Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Add orzo and stir until lightly browned, 2-3 minutes. Add vegetable broth and season with salt and pepper. Lower, heat, cover, and cook for 12 minutes, until liquid is absorbed.
Add roasted vegetables to orzo. Add lemon juice and toss lightly. Let cool to room temperature and add feta, pine nuts, and basil. Top with grated lemon zest.

[Jen Blackburn]

YUMMMMMMM

that sounds delish!

is it really that easy to roast veggies in the oven?

[Edith K. Thurmond]

YUMMMMMMM

that sounds delish!

is it really that easy to roast veggies in the oven?

Yes, very easy!

Sometimes, when I am having company, I roast an assortment of veggies, including sliced sweet potatoes. Olive oil, salt, fresh minced garlic, and chopped fresh rosemary leaves are sprinkled all over and the end result is delicious. One caution: Do not get the vegetables too done; mush is not the goal.

[Jen Blackburn]

One caution: Do not get the vegetables too done; mush is not the goal.

LOL

thanks for the warning! :D

[Edith K. Thurmond]

LOL

thanks for the warning! :D

Six years ago, my son gave me a cookbook for Christmas titled How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittmann. The subtitle is Simple Recipes for Great Food.The book is a James Beard Foundation Cookbook Award winner, as well as, a Julia Child Cookbook Awards winner.

There are great instructions and tips for cooking everything in this book. His instructions for boiling eggs is accurate every time. Roasting instructions for various foods are super. I find that I am referring to that book often. Son Roger purchased it off the internet and selected it because of the two names associated with the awards. Years earlier, he had heard his mother and grandmother speak often of James Beard and Julia Child. Sometimes our children are listening to us! :)

This book has been such a great addition to my kitchen that I now often give it for wedding gifts. It turns out to be greatly appreciated after the brides have had time to use it. Great book for any cook - either novice or expert. I, also, love to give wonderful etiquette books for wedding gifts. Someone gave me one by Amy Vanderbilt when I married and have used it frequently for the last 37 years. There have been many social situations that I did not know the protocol for and that etiquette book 'saved the day.' When writing condolence letters or notes, I use the basic wording in that book as I have never found any better.

Good cookbooks and good etiquette books are welcomed additions!

Smiles to you,

[Jen Blackburn]

so what is the no-fail method of boiling eggs? cuz my eggs always come out soooo difficult to peel... i love hard boiled eggs, but hate shelling them!

i'm so glad to know you, edith :) i'm blessed :)

[Edith K. Thurmond]

so what is the no-fail method of boiling eggs? cuz my eggs always come out soooo difficult to peel... i love hard boiled eggs, but hate shelling them!

i'm so glad to know you, edith :) i'm blessed :)

Your post brought a smile to my face, Jen. Never thought I would be talking about eggs today and, especially, with someone in Michigan. Well, here goes but it will have to be in three parts since the information is too long for one post.

Taken from pages 732, 733 of How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

Boiled Eggs

There are two keys to successfully boiling an egg. The first is to poke a tiny hole in the broad end of the egg, using a pin or needle. This provides an outlet for the pressure created by the swelling and hardening white and virtually eliminates cracked shells. The second is to use medium-to-low heat, which keeps the egg from bouncing around in the saucepan and helps prevent overcooking. All that's left is the timing. (I put the end of a needle into a cork for easier insertion into the egg).

Soft-Boiled Egg
Makes one serving per egg

Time: Less than 10 minutes

Don't crowd the saucepan; there must be enough water circulating around each egg. And, if you're cooking more than one egg at a time, extend the cooking time to the longest end of the range (four minutes, in this case).

Use a pin or needle to poke a hole in the broad end of each egg. Place each egg on a spoon, ladle, skimmer, or other tool and lower it into a small saucepan of gently boiling water.
Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, the lower time if you want the yolk completely runny and the white not quite set, the latter if you want the white very soft but set.
Run the egg very briefly under cold water, crack the shell, and scoop out the egg.

[Edith K. Thurmond]

Medium-Boiled Egg
Makes 1 serving per egg

Time: About 10 minutes

These eggs are wonderful substitutes for poached eggs, and can even be reheated after shelling by diipping them quickly - no more than thirty seconds - into a saucepan of simmering water.

Use a pin or needle to poke a hole in the broad end of each egg. Place each egg on a spoon, ladle, skimmer, or other tool and lower it into a small saucepan of gengly boiling water; do not crowd.
Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, the shorter time guarantees a cooked but runny yolk, but there may be some undercooked white. With the longer time, the white will be fully cooked, but some of the yolk may have hardened. Try it both ways and see which you prefer.
To remove the shell, plunge into cold running water for about 30 seconds, then crack and peel gently, as you would a hard-boiled egg.

[Edith K. Thurmond]

Hard-Boiled Egg
Makes 1 serving per egg

Time: About 15 minutes

Much better when ever so slightly undercooked, so the yolk is on the creamy side.

Use a pin or needle to poke a hole in the broad end of each egg. Place each egg on a spoon, ladle, skimmer, or other tool and lower it into a small saucepan of gently boiling water; do not crowd.
Cook for 10 to 15 minutes; the shorter time guarantees a fully cooked white, and leaves some of the yolk a little underdone, which I prefer. Any time longer than 12 minutes will give you the standard hard-boiled egg (if you want to be doubly sure the egg is cooked through, increase the time to 15 minutes).
To remove the shell, plunge into cold running water for 30 seconds (if you want to eat the egg while hot) to 2 minutes (if you want to make shell removal as easy as possible and don't care whether the egg cools off). Remove the peel gently.Edith speaking: Cooking boiled eggs this way eliminates the green color that sometimes forms when boiling eggs. Trusting this information is helpful.

[Marsha Gupton]

ok, I posted a reply, then got confused and was afraid I had posted to the wrong post.

Edith, that recipe sounds wonderful. I think I will try that. Thank you for sharing.

[Edith K. Thurmond]

ok, I posted a reply, then got confused and was afraid I had posted to the wrong post.

Edith, that recipe sounds wonderful. I think I will try that. Thank you for sharing.

It's my pleasure.

Belinda may move this to one of her categories, but I probably have confused things with the boiled egg instructions thrown in the middle. Ah, such is the life of a woman!

[Jen Blackburn]

thanks for the egg directions :)

i love love love a freshly hardboiled egg -- still hot, with butter, salt & pepper.... mmmmmmm...

i never have heard of poking the egg with a needle before boiling.. interesting! i'll try it! thank you so much.

[Gina Stevenson]

thanks for the egg directions :)

i love love love a freshly hardboiled egg -- still hot, with butter, salt & pepper.... mmmmmmm...

i never have heard of poking the egg with a needle before boiling.. interesting! i'll try it! thank you so much.

Love them soft-boiled, too ... a couple of them mushed up with butter, salt, pepper on some nice grainy toast ... for breakfast, or whenever.

BTW, didn't read all those egg directions, but one thing I do recall re the hard-boiled ones (that I did read one doesn't want too hard) is how one wants to cool them fast, if not eating them hot ... the sooner cool, the better. This keeps that nasty black-colored yolk from happening (which might also change taste somewhat), because the fast cooling keeps sulphur gas from forming within the egg as it cools slowly, turning the yolk black. Can't recall where I finally read this, after wondering for a long time how one keeps the yolks from turning black around the edges. ;)