Creamy Orzo with Peas

I love pasta. Spaghetti, fettuccine, ravioli, tortellini, fusilli, lasagne, macaroni. Cover it in marinara, fill it with cheese, or bake it in the oven. You name it, I want to eat it. While looking for new varieties of pasta to try, which I am constantly doing, I came across orzo. Orzo looks like large grains of rice, but it is actually pasta. It plumps up beautifully when cooked and blends well with small veggies. This recipe combines orzo with tomatoes and peas and my favorite sauce for pasta, a creamy one with lots of fresh parmesan cheese. If you can find and afford real Parmigiano-Reggiano, buy it and grate it fresh for this dish. A little bit of the real thing goes a long way.

Ingredients:
1 pound orzo
2 T olive oil
2 shallots
2 garlic cloves
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 ¼ cups heavy cream
½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (or ¾ cup parmesan cheese from the green canister)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook orzo in salted boiling water according to package directions. Drain the pasta, but save about one cup of the cooking liquid for later use.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Finely chop the shallots and garlic and add to the heated olive oil. Cook until soft, about 2 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic.

Add the drained tomatoes to the shallots and garlic in the skillet and cook for 5 minutes, until tender. Add the peas and cream and cook another minute until the peas are heated through.

Stir in the orzo until combined, then add the Parmigiano-Reggiano and mix well. If necessary, add enough of the reserved cooking liquid to maintain a creamy consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.