Luxury is quite a complex word. When it comes to cooking, it’s usually associated with expensive or rare ingredients. Something most of us don’t usually incorporate in our daily cooking routines.
But you know, expensive can be relative when it comes to food. And luxury doesn’t have to be something we save for special occasions. We can add small notes of it in our daily cooking. I’ll explain.
How? Well, all one has to do really is source some good ingredients and combine them in clever ways. And most of these luxury foods go a long way. Saffron is the ingredient we love today. Why? Because of its red, gold colour. Because of its warm, slightly metallic flavour. Because a few threads are enough to add its unique aroma to your food. Plus, it makes us feel luxurious, doesn’t it? The one we are using is from Greece and oh, it’s organic too!
This recipe is inspired by Jamie Oliver’s flavour combinations.
Feeds 2-3 people:
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 red onions
200g orzo
700 ml water
100g sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
4 generous pinches of saffron
4 cardamom pods
100g galomizithra or other soft white cheese
Salt, pepper
Preheat your oven at 200C.
Boil your water and add the saffron threads. Once they release their colour, add the sun-dried tomatoes and stir. Pop in the cardamom pods.
Finely chop the onions and gently fry them with the olive oil until translucent. Use a heat-proof casserole over medium low-heat. Add the orzo and stir, until the grains are coated in oil. Pour the saffron/sun dried tomato liquid over the orzo. Season with salt and pepper.
Transfer your casserole to the oven and bake, stirring occasionally, until orzo is cooked and liquid is absorbed, around 20-30 min. Check halfway through and add a bit more water if needed. A few minutes before your orzo is ready, add the galomizithra cheese and fold through so that some lumps remain. Bake for another 10 minutes, until the cheese melts. Can you smell the red-gold luxury?
This dish is great served with a simple green salad.
