Toasted Orzo, Chickpea and Tomato "Stoup"
45
- Prep Time5 mins
- Total Time30 mins
- Makes4 servings
Produced by Stephanie Han Kim; Photography by Christie Vuong; Recipe by Chantal Braganza; Food Styling by Matthew Kimura; Prop Styling by Christine Hanlon
This dish is a riff off on sopa de fideos, a soup of noodles fried in chicken fat and topped with tomato broth—and a total comfort food when deputy food editor Chantal Braganza was growing up.
Ingredients
2 pints grape tomatoes
1 540-mL can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper, to taste
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups orzo
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 900-mL box mushroom broth
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp hot red chili flakes
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
Instructions
Heat a lidded sauté pan on high. Add tomatoes to dry, hot pan and cook, with lid on, shaking occasionally, until tomatoes are blistered, 4 min. Turn off heat and set aside to cool, 3 min.
Meanwhile, pat chickpeas dry with a towel. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a separate pan over medium-high. Add orzo, chickpeas and garlic, and stir until orzo is golden, 4 to 5 min. Reduce heat to medium and stir in broth. Secure lid and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until broth is mostly absorbed, pasta is al dente and liquid is thickened, 8 to 10 min.
Meanwhile, to pan with tomatoes, stir in remaining 1⁄3 cup oil, onion, tomato paste, cumin and chili flakes. Turn heat to medium and simmer, with lid slightly open, until onion has softened and most of the liquid has evaporated, 15 min.
Spoon tomatoes over pasta and chickpeas. Sprinkle cheese and cilantro overtop and serve.
When pan is hot and butter starts to foam, pour in the batter and slide pan immediately into oven. Bake until puffed and golden, 15 to 20 min. Serve immediately.
Kitchen tip
Orzo is ideal for the toast-and-simmer method because it fries up quickly and releases just enough starch while cooking to thicken the broth. Take care when toasting: There’s a fine line between a golden sizzle and overtoasting, which results in gumminess.
Kitchen tip
Sun-dried tomato paste is a bit more expensive than standard tomato paste, but it packs twice the amount of umami, key to that stewed-for-hours flavour.
For extra texture and flavour
Toss chickpeas in lemon juice and olive oil, then roast on a sheet pan at 425F for 20 min while the tomatoes and orzo cook. Mix in for a crispy bite.