Orzo with blue cheese, mushroom and spinach

• Orzo : This short grain pasta is often mistaken as Arborio rice. Mostly used in soups and salads, I love to use orzo as a side dish or as a warm skillet.
• Veggies : Caramelized onions add the sweetness, mushrooms, the umami and spinach the bright wintery touch!
• Blue Cheese : This unique French cheese can be very intimidating to cook with. Usually paired with fig salads or as a dressing. Blue cheese orzo is just another dimension of flavours.

• Orzo pasta – 1 cup – I use Colavita
• Garlic – 1 tbsp, chopped
• Onion – 1 medium-sized, sliced
• Mushrooms – 100g, sliced
• Spinach – 200 g
• Olive oil – 2 tbsp
• Butter – 1 tbsp
• Salt – to taste
• Pepper – 1 tsp
• Blue cheese – 2 tbsp
• Lemon juice – 1 tsp

Method

• Start by heating up the skillet and caramelizing the onions. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to the skillet. Melt butter in the olive oil.
• Add the sliced onions. Cook on high heat for a minute until transparent.
• Add the chopped garlic. Mix and cook for another minutes.
• Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt and saute on medium heat. Caramelize the onions and mushrooms by splashing some water, to release the char and cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes until brown. Remove from pan and set aside.
• Roughly tear the spinach leaves, and add to the same pan. Add a pinch of salt and cook until wilted for 5 minutes. Remove from pan.
• Heat the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in the skillet, add the orzo and coat with oil. Cover with water and occasionally stir and cook for 5-6 minutes. Add the lemon juice and cook until soft.
• Add the cooked spinach and caramelized onions and mushrooms and 1 tbsp blue cheese. Mix well and continue to stir. Cook for 2 minutes until it all comes together!
• Sprinkle rest of the blue cheese all over the skillet before serving.

A dash of truffle oil does wonders too!