Orzotto in a Courgette
Loads of greens & feta
When I first thought of this dish it was nowhere near the end result that you can see here.
Round courgettes are commonly used in Italy and Greece and we would normally stuff them with meat, rice or a mixture of both. My mum recently made a version stuffed with salmon which was delicious but she had some comments on the recipe and as we always do, we talked it through over the phone. The main issue was to find a way to partially cook the courgette before stuffing it. Most recipes call for a 5 min dip in boiling water but, both my mum and I think that the end result is too close to a hospital meal. Let’s be honest: no one like boiled courgettes! We both agreed that a hot griddle pan would be the solution.
A couple of days later I found round courgettes and picked them up straight away along with loads of fresh herbs and green spring veggies. I initially wanted to stuff them with a nice herby risotto but at the end opted for orzo instead.
Orzotto is simply orzo cooked in the same way you’d cook risotto. It’s delicious and it takes only 10 to 12 minutes to cook. It’s a very tasty alternative.
Just to clarify, by orzo I mean the rice shaped pasta (kritharaki in Greek). I just want to specify this as in Italian orzo is barley while the pasta version is called ‘Risoni’.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
4 Round courgettes
120g asparagus
120g baby courgette
60g of peas
Half an onion
1 handful of basil, mint & dill
Olive oil
1 small glass of white wine
200g orzo pasta
2 cloves of garlic
Olive oil
500ml Veggie Stock
Feta 80gr
Salt & Pepper
Step by Step
With a knife and a spoon cut the top of your courgettes and carve out the flesh. You want to carve out as much as possible and you want to get to roughly 0.5cm thickness. We are not going to use the carved out flesh in this recipe as it would add way to much water. You can freeze it and use it in smoothies (no added taste, only added nutrients!) or alternatively you can use it in a soup
Prep your veggies: chop the asparagus and courgettes
Sprinkle the inside of the courgettes with salt and let them rest head down for one hour. This will help you get rid of excess water
Heat up a griddle pan and coat it with olive oil. Grill your courgettes for a few minutes per side. You want them to become a bit softer but you don’t want them to cook through and loose their shape. Put them aside
In a non-stick pan add a drizzle of olive oil and your thinly sliced onion
Sauté the asparagus, peas and courgettes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside
Time to prep your orzotto! Prep your veggie stock and a ladle and put them aside. In a non stick pan, add a drizzle of olive oil and the garlic. Once it’s hot add in your orzo and toast it for a couple of minutes (same way you would do with risotto)
Add the wine and turn the heat up. As soon as the alcohol has evaporated add in some of the stock. Repeat one ladle at a time and adjust seasoning. The orzo cooks in roughly 10 to 12 minutes. You want it to be al dente but not fully cooked. I roughly cooked mine for 9 minutes
Chop all your herbs and add them in a bowl. Add your almost cooked orzotto in the same bowl with the herbs and add on top the crumbled feta. Mix everything, taste and adjust seasoning if needed
Stuff your courgettes and place them in a baking tray with their little ‘hats’ on. Drizzle with olive oil and bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 30-40 minutes
Let them cool down for a bit before eating them. These are delicious both enjoyed warm or at room temperature
Tips & Cheats
It’s important that you don’t skip the first step and you let your courgettes rest so they can release all the excess water.
Make sure you carve them uniformly and that your courgette ‘walls’ are not thicker than 0.5 cm.
If you don’t want to use orzo, you can use risotto rice instead. The only difference will be the cooking time. Risotto will take you 15 to 20 mins while orzo will take 10 mins.
You can swap the veggies however you like! Same applies with the cheese. another tasty version could be with peppers, aubergines and cherry tomatoes.
