Cookbook review by Tracey Zabar
This book is bursting with simple recipes for dinner. What’s easier than a meal made in one pot? Try this gorgeous veggie dish first. Then, maybe a meat pie or black bean soup. Next on my list: salmon with Mediterranean rice salad and spanakopita. There are also some yummy desserts here, such as a baked apple, stuffed with cherries and hazelnuts; and my old friend, blueberry pie, baked in a skillet.
Recipe excerpted with permission from The Complete One Pot by America's Test Kitchen
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Vegetable and Orzo Tian
Why This Recipe Works
This Mediterranean-inspired vegetable casserole features striking layers of zucchini, summer squash, and tomatoes over a bed of creamy orzo. The challenge with this theoretically hands-off dish was finishing the pasta and vegetables simultaneously. Rather than cook the orzo separately in a pot, we achieved perfectly cooked pasta by tightly shingling the vegetables over the orzo, trapping moisture in the casserole dish. Vegetable broth reinforced the vegetables’ flavor, and shallots and garlic mixed into the orzo provided depth. Parmesan gave the orzo a creamy texture, and a combination of oregano and red pepper flakes contributed floral, spicy notes. A few minutes under the broiler and a sprinkle of basil made for an appealing presentation. Look for squash, zucchini, and tomatoes with similar-size circumferences so that they are easy to shingle into the dish. You will need a broiler-safe 13 by 9-inch baking dish for this recipe.
Serves 4
Total Time 1 hour
• 3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1½ cups), divided
• 1 cup orzo
• 2 shallots, minced
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ teaspoon table salt
• ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 zucchini, sliced ¼ inch thick
• 1 yellow summer squash, sliced ¼ inch thick
• 1 pound plum tomatoes, cored and sliced ¼ inch thick
• 1¾ cups vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Combine ½ cup Parmesan, orzo, shallots, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper flakes in bowl. Spread mixture evenly into broiler-safe 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Alternately shingle zucchini, squash, and tomatoes in tidy rows on top of orzo.
2. Carefully pour broth over top of vegetables. Bake until orzo is just tender and most of broth is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
3. Remove dish from oven, adjust oven rack 9 inches from broiler element, and heat broiler. Drizzle vegetables with oil, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup Parmesan. Broil until nicely browned and bubbling around edges, about 5 minutes.
4. Remove dish from oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and serve warm or at room temperature.
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