Orzo is Italian, of course, but it’s used all across the Mediterranean, from Greece and Turkey to Spain. I grew up eating it boiled in soups and loved how the little pieces of pasta behaved like rice, starchy and soft and chewy all at once. I started making risotto with orzo as a way to get my daughters to try something new, pasta beyond just tomato sauce or macaroni and cheese. Get your kids (or an unsuspecting sous chef) to take charge of the constant stirring, the technique that helps release starch from the surface of the orzo, creating the lovely creamy risotto texture. Mushrooms are a fine partner here—rich and meaty and so flavorful they make the dish feel like an indulgence.
SERVES 4
2 cups vegetable stock, homemade or store-bought
2 cups whole milk
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ pound mixed mushrooms, such as stemmed shiitakes or trimmed cremini, chanterelles or other wild mushrooms, sliced
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons butter
⅓ cup minced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1½ cups orzo
¾ cup white wine
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Combine the vegetable stock, milk, and dried porcini in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer; keep warm over low heat.
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, season with salt, and cook until they release all of their liquid. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the mushrooms are golden brown, about 12 minutes total. Transfer the mushrooms to a plate.
Melt the butter in the same saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the orzo and stir to coat it evenly with the butter, about 1 minute. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until it has been absorbed. Turn the heat to medium-low, add 1 cup of the warm vegetable stock mixture, and cook, stirring constantly, until the orzo has absorbed all the liquid. Continue adding the stock mixture ½ cup at a time and stirring until it has been absorbed each time before adding more. The risotto is done when the orzo is al dente and is suspended in a silky sauce, about 30 minutes.
Stir the sautéed mushrooms into the risotto. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately, with grated Parmesan.