Total Time
1 hour
Cut down on risotto’s lengthy cook time by subbing in orzo for rice; the rice-shaped pasta creates a similarly luscious end result when cooked with liquid added a bit at a time. Here you’ll up the creaminess factor with a blender sauce made from quickly soaked raw cashews, garlic, and salty preserved lemons—plus a serious amount of cracked black pepper for an almost cacio e pepe vibe.
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What you’ll need
Blender
$40 At Amazon
Dutch Oven
$133 $80 At Amazon
Wooden Spoon
$7 At Amazon
Ingredients
4 servings
1
2
½
4
2
1
1
2
Preparation
Step 1
Combine 1 cup raw cashews and 1 cup hot water in a blender; let sit 15 minutes. Add 2 garlic cloves, ½ cup coarsely chopped preserved lemon, plus 1 Tbsp. brine, and 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth and blend on high speed until mixture is very smooth, about 2 minutes.
Step 2
Heat 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a medium Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high. Cook 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper, stirring often, until fragrant and slightly darkened, about 1 minute. Add 1 lb. orzo and cook, stirring often, until pale golden brown, about 3 minutes. Pour in 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth; cook, stirring often, until most of liquid is absorbed, about 3 minutes.
Step 3
Add cashew purée to pot and cook, stirring often, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Pour in remaining 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth; cook, stirring often, until absorbed. Add 2 cups water 1-cupful at a time, stirring to incorporate and waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more. Cook, stirring often, until orzo is tender and sauce is creamy, 18–22 minutes total. Remove from heat and stir in 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice.
Step 4
Divide orzo among shallow bowls and top with chopped parsley and more pepper.
How would you rate Creamy Preserved Lemon–Black Pepper Orzo?
Leave a Review
Reviews (2)
Back to Topkind of a cheat, because I roughly halved this and used up about 2/3 to 3/4 cup of heavy cream instead of cashews because I had cream to use up and preserved lemons-- And it's good as a non-vegan creamy thing (oh and I subbed chicken stock because I don't seem to have any veg at the moment.)
ML Character
Los Angeles
10/4/2023
I was looking for a recipe to use up some preserved lemons. I admit I typically find them overpowering because, even though they don't have preservatives, there is a flavour I just can't overcome. The stars aligned and I had all the ingredients and, though it takes a bit of attention, was not a lengthy recipe, I was happy with the result. The cashews muted (what I find to be) the overpowering nature of the preserved lemons. I worried I had toasted the orzo a bit too dark but that didn't seem to be an issue with the flavour. I halved the recipe except for the garlic (used 3 cloves). And don't think it needed the additional 18-22 minutes to finish cooking. The recipe was correct in that you do not need to add salt. As is, it makes a nice side dish that is a nice change from rice. I tried toasted pecans which added texture and also tried it with pine nuts. I think as a main, I would add peas and pine nuts and, as a non-veg, I might throw in some pancetta as well (not as smoky/strong as bacon). We had some leftovers and I might throw on some parmesan as a test, or some gremolata just out of curiosity (toasted panko, garlic, lemon zest that I have on hand). But not all at once! Just to see if anything pops.
magill
8/27/2023
Great creamy sauce that could be adapted to other cream-heavy recipes like fettuccine Alfredo. I recommend lowering cooking temp to medium or medium-low when adding the cashew purée. I found that the orzo was at the proper texture shortly after incorporating the 2 cups of water; it did not need anything near 18-22 more minutes. Next time I’ll add some chopped nuts at the end for additional texture.
Gustus
Nashville
4/26/2023