Greens and Tomato Orzo/Spark: A Burning Man Story

What a summer! I have a lot of greens. I don't really know what to do with them most of the time. This past week, I got dandelion greens. Had I known those were edible, I would have gone down to the field and picked some myself. I don't need no CSA.

I've made salads, stir-frys, and even green soup. I was ready for something new. I thought this recipe here sounded pretty delicious, so I decided to use it as a guide. I made a couple of adjustments to fit what I had on hand, and you can do the same. I would highly recommend using fresh tomatoes because they are in season right now, and they give the dish a lighter tomato taste that you can't get with canned tomatoes. I added some bullion back in to give it the salt it needed. 

I think this dish would go well with an egg on top, over-easy. Then again, I think most things go well that way.

awwww. sparkly eggs.

Recipe: Greens and Tomato Orzo

Ingredients

2 tbsp oil or butter (I used vegan butter)

6 garlic scapes (see image below for visual)

A bunch of greens (kale, chard, lettuce, dandelion were among mine)

Herbs! I used dill, parsley, and thyme.

Splash o' vinegar or acid of choice (apple cider!)

1.5 cups orzo

5 tomatoes, pureed

2 bullion cubes (or salt if you don't have them)

1 onion

more herbs!

I started with the greens. Retrospectively, I probably should have started with the orzo, but have you heard I do what I want? Because I do what I want.

Heat the fat in a large skillet over med-high heat. Chop the scapes and add to the pan along with the herbs. Stir fry for 3-4 minutes, to get them fragrant. Add chopped greens to the skillet, handful by hand, wilting it down. Once it's all wilted and bright green, splash dat vinegar up in it's bizness and turn off the heat. Set aside.

To make the orzo, start by heating 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet. Cook the chopped onion until translucent but now brown. Toast the orzo, taking care not to burn it. Stir in the tomato puree (juice and all!), bullion, and seasoning. Once it comes to a boil, reduce to low, cover, and let simmer until the orzo is all plump and cooked. Stir in the greens and serve hot! (I do suggest the egg still)

Step-by-Step Instructions

This is a garlic scape! They make good pesto.

Chop them to look like this.

Slice the greens into ribbon. Pictured: chard, lettuce, dandelion greens, kale

those are some good looking greens

fry up the herbs and scapes in some butter

slowly add the greens. it may seem like a lot at first, but it wilts down to a fraction of the size

told ya so! splash some vinegar all up in that pan.

now to the orzo. roughly chop the onion

toast the onion first until translucent and then add the orzo and brown it a little for a couple minutes

stir in the tomatoes and bullion 

cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the orzo is done.

fold in the greens and serve!

Review: Spark - A Burning Man Story

This movie had great timing for three reasons:

1. I was looking for a documentary to pair with the dish (healthy food + healthy mind?)

2. My boyfriend joined the burners club Monday morning (he is there until Sunday)

3. It was the last night it was playing at The Brattle in Cambridge

It seemed like it was meant to be.

The movie was pretty good - I think even better for people who have been to the Burn before. It was basically just an advertisement to get people excited about it. There was a bit of history behind the founders of Burning Man, but nothing super interesting.

The advertisement work. I want to drink the kool-aid. I am kicking myself for not going this year. I can't believe I passed up that opportunity. I'm just hoping that boyfriend is down for next year as well. I guess I'll find out soon!

If you are not familiar with what Burning Man is, at least give the trailer a look. If you want to go with me next year, hit me up.