Orzo caramelized with fall vegetables and ginger

Rating: 4/5
Serving: 3-4
Preparation: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 8 oz orzo pasta
• Vegetable oil
• 1 large sweet potato (~ 1 lb), diced
• 1 small onion (~ 1 lb), finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp peeled and grated fresh ginger
• 8 oz shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps diced
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 bundle of kale, stalks removed and leaves finely chopped
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions: 

1. Heat a large pot of water to boiling and salt it generously. Cook the orzo until barely al dente (~ 6-7 minutes). Drain and toss with a generous drizzle of oil so that the grains of the orzo are lightly coated with oil. Set aside.
2. Heat a large frying pan over high heat. Drizzle vegetable oil  (not olive oil because we want an oil with a high smoke point) to coat the pan and heat until very hot. Add the sweet potatoes and arrange them in a single layer. Cook over high heat until they begin to caramelize and turn brown, about 4 minutes. Flip the sweet potatoes and cook for 3 minutes more. 
3. Turn the heat down to medium and push the sweet potatoes in a pile against the side of the pan. Add the onions to the center of the pan and season lightly with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are beginning to turn brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and stir them into the onions. Push the onions off to the side of the pan, next to the sweet potatoes, where they will continue to caramelize. 
4. Add the mushrooms to the hot center of the pan and cook for 4 minutes without turning them. Stir the mushrooms and cook for 4 minutes. The onions should be quite dark brown and the garlic should be golden and soft. The potatoes should be softening. 
5. Whisk together vinegar, soy sauce, and 2 tbsp of vegetable oil. Pour this into the pan with the vegetables and mix everything together, scraping the bottom as you go. Cook for 3 minutes. 
6. Turn the heat up to high. Add the orzo gradually while stirring and scraping constantly. Cook, letting the orzo get browned on the bottom of the pan, then scraping it up, for about 5 minutes. You are developing more color and flavor on the pasta, helping all the flavors combine.
7. Add the kale and cook until they're barely wilted, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper as needed.  Serve hot, with shavings of Parmesan if desired. 

My review:

This was such a delicious, hearty meal! The caramelized potatoes and onions, as well as the browning of the orzo really helped develop the flavor of this dish. The recipe was easy to follow and can definitely be done by beginner cooks! If you don't want to make this a vegetarian dish, you can always render some bacon and then use the fat to cook the vegetables.

Happy cooking and eating!

Adapted from:
https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-orzo-with-caramelized-fall-vegetables-amp-ginger-158228