Pea and Ham Orzo – 14sp

I’ve seen orzo kicking about in the shops for a while now and really fancied giving it a go. After doing a bit of research I came across this Jaime Oliver recipe which looked delicious so I thought before I went ahead with my own invention, I would give this a go as a tester and try and make a nice low pp version of it. The results were delicious. It was so tasty and the texture even better than risotto with less than half the cooking time! I roasted a gammon joint the night before (they are so cheap in Aldi and the OH and I use it in salads and sandwiches through the week) but if you don’t have gammon you could replace it with 6 rashers of bacon (rind trimmed off) for the same amount of points, just be sure to fry it off before your onions!

Ingredients

Serve 2 = 14sp each

Three of four shallots, peeled and finely chopped

2/3 garlic cloves, finely minced

100g cooked ham/gammon, diced

100g orzo

100ml white wine

Zest of one lemon

Chicken stock cube made up with 300ml water

100g peas, frozen

1 tsp butter

30g parmesan, grated

1 tablespoon half fat crème fraiche (or two if you use Morrison’s half fat crème fraiche!)

Good squeeze of lemon juice

Salt and pepper

Method

Take a non stick pan, spray with 1kal and add your shallots with a little splash of water. Fry for a minute or two then add the garlic and fry for another few minutes. Once the shallots are translucent, add the ham and orzo, give a good mix and then add the lemon zest and white wine. Fry for a minute, stirring all the time, to let the wine reduce. Next add your stock, give a good mix and turn your pan down to a simmer.  Simmer for 7-8 minutes and after four minutes add your peas then simmer until your stock is absorbed, the orzo cooked and the whole thing is looking a little less wet.

Next, remove the pan from the heat and add the butter, most of the parmesan, crème fraiche, lemon juice and a good seasoning of salt and pepper. Leave to rest for a couple of minutes.

Serve topped with a handful of watercress, sprinkle over the remaining parmesan and with a little slice of lemon.

Enjoy!