Sausage Orzo with Sage Bread Crumbs
Orzo cooked straight in the pot with browned Italian sausage, then finished with a lot of Parmesan until it goes creamy. The crumbs are toasted first in sage brown butter and set aside, so the last thing on top is the crunch.
Method
Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sage and stir now and then until the butter turns golden brown and smells nutty, about 2 minutes. Add the bread crumbs and keep stirring and scraping until they are toasted, 2 to 4 minutes more. Take the pot off the heat, tip the crumbs into a small bowl, and season them lightly with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Wipe out the pot and put it back on medium heat. Add the olive oil, then the sausage. Break it into small pieces as it cooks, 5 to 6 minutes, until it is browned and just cooked through.
Stir in the orzo and garlic. Cook, stirring now and then, until the orzo smells toasted, about 1 minute.
Pour in the water and season with salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Then uncover, drop the heat to medium-low, and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring often so the orzo doesn't stick, until almost all the liquid is absorbed and the orzo is al dente.
Take the pot off the heat. Add the Parmesan and stir hard for about 1 minute. That stirring is what makes the orzo creamy and takes up the last of the liquid. Taste and add more salt and pepper if it needs it. Fold in half of the bread crumbs and serve with the rest on top.
Notes from the line
No sausage: stir in a drained, rinsed can of white beans, or wilt in a few handfuls of baby spinach or kale.
No fresh sage: rosemary, oregano or thyme will do the same job in the butter.
Adapted from NYT Cooking. Headnote and method rewritten for Dad Made.