I am in constant fight with the light. The light is either too bright or simply not enough for taking a good shot. I cooked this up last fall, when the light was slightly diffused, but still workable in the evening. Back in our Rupert days, the lamp in the sky kept us bright even longer. Jim didn’t have a darkroom and during the summer months he had to wait way past midnight to develop his films. Of course Prince Rupert is way up north. But as further south we go [in the northern hemisphere], the quicker the Sun will dip below the horizon during summer. I recall chatting with our granddaughter on Skype one evening when she noticed that our office was flooded with light and all the while her window was already pitch dark. B.C. is in the same time zone, but she is way down in California.
Have you ever looked at the Moon closer? We used to have a crude homemade telescope. The legs of the stand were held together by rope, but the lenses worked just the same. When the kids were teens we spent many a summer nights looking at the night sky. The first thing we always looked at was the Moon. We never saw the man on the moon. We only saw craters. I remember my dad telling me once never to look at the Moon, that it would give me bad vibes. But off course I looked at the Moon! Looking at the moon always filled me with gladness and wonder. The Moon is beautiful.
This dish was adapted from the recipe by Bev Cooks. The dish is simple, vibrant and delicious. The best part, it doesn’t take long to prepare and easily adjusts to personal tastes. I like the vegetables and the orzo al dente, so I reduced the cooking time considerably.
BACON ORZO
1-1/2 cups orzo
1/2 small red onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup diced broccoli florets
1 cup diced red pepper
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1 handful of fresh parsley, chopped
2 cups diced bacon [I use block bacon]
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
salt and freshly ground pepper
freshly grated parmesan cheese [optional]
• Boil the orzo until al dente, orzo cooks very fast.
• Meanwhile prep all the vegetables and set them aside.
• Drain the orzo and place it in a large mixing bowl. Cover to keep warm.
• Meanwhile render the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, until crispy.
• Remove bacon pieces and reserve.
• Drain all but 2 Tbsp of bacon fat.
• Add the onions to the pan and sauté until they start to soften.
• Add the garlic and the tiny broccoli florets and sauté for a couple of minutes.
• Add the diced red pepper, the diced tomatoes and the fresh parsley and sauté for one minute.
• Stir in the reserved bacon.
• If the orzo cooled down, quickly heat it up in the microwave. Mine was still piping hot.
• Add contents of the skillet to the reserved orzo.
• Add the crushed pepper, salt and ground pepper.
• Give everything a good toss.
• Garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
