Recipe 3

Kelly's recipe yesterday got me thinking about orzo. I had never tried orzo until I went to college, but the cafeteria at school makes some of the best orzo. A few months ago I went searching for a recipe that was close and I came up with the one below from allrecipes.com. I recently served it with cod, which is also a recipe from allrecipes.com.

Parmesan Basil Orzo

2 tbsp. butter
1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
1 can chicken broth
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (I usually use dried basil)
garlic, salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in orzo and saute until lightly browned.
Stir in chicken broth and bring to boil. Cover. Reduce heat and simmer until orzo is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes.
Mix in parmesan cheese, basil, garlic, salt and pepper.

Cod with Italian Crumb Topping

1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs
2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. cornmeal
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/8 tsp. garlic powder (I used more!)
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
4 cod fillets
1 egg white, lightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 450*
2. In a small shallow bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, cheese, cornmeal, oil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and pepper; set aside
3. Coat the rack of a broiling pan with cooking spray. Place the cod on the rack, folding under any thin edges of the fillets. Brush with teh egg white, then spoon the crumb mixture evenly on top.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork and is opaque all the way through.


*Note: I didn't prepare the cod exactly this way. I dipped the fish in the egg white, then coated it with the crumb mixture before placing it on the pan. It seemed a little easier to me.