recipe
Mushroom Giovetsi
By: Eleni Saltas
Giouvetsi is a comforting orzo casserole dish typically made with beef, lamb or chicken. For a vegetarian swap, ditch the meat and use mushrooms for a savory meal.
Plus, it’s Lenten friendly! I recently made this recipe for Sunday family dinner, with a special guest appearance from my monk cousin visiting from Mount Sinai. If this “would pass the muster station” all the way in Egypt, it’ll certainly land as a favorite in your own home.
Prep Time:
10min
Total Time:
2-2.5 hours
Servings:
4-6
Good For:
Dinner/Lent
Ingredients
- 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 leeks, coarsely chopped
- 4-5 cloves of garlic, sliced
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano, or more to taste
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 20 ounces of mushrooms (I prefer portobello or oyster mushrooms, or use a mix)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup red wine
- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth or water
- 15 ounces canned diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon of chili flakes
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 bay leaves
- Handful of parsley, chopped
- 1 cup (250g) orzo
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Prep your vegetables!
Finely chop the onions and dice the carrots.
For the leeks: Use just the white and a small portion of green parts of the leeks, coarsely chopped. Leeks have many layers, so place your cut leeks into a colander and rinse well.
Step 2
Place a pot to medium heat and add three tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onions, carrots, and leeks and season generously with salt. Saute together for 5 minutes and then add the garlic. Once all caramelized, spoon the vegetables into a bowl, leaving any olive oil in the pan and set aside for now.
Step 3
Roughly chop or easily break apart the mushrooms into cubes and add mushrooms to the pot in a single layer if possible. Sprinkle with salt and allow to cook untouched for a few minutes. Liquid should be evaporating from the mushrooms. Flip the mushrooms to brown on all sides.
Step 4
Add the vegetables back into the pot. Add the tomato paste and stir around in the pot for 2-3 minutes. Deglaze with the red wine and allow the wine to evaporate
Step 5
Add water or vegetable broth, canned diced tomatoes, chili flakes, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf. Season well with salt and pepper and simmer for 1 ½ hours until a nice sauce forms. Occasionally check for flavor. Remove the cinnamon stick if you are happy with the cinnamon taste.
Step 6
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Once the sauce is done, pour the mixture to an oven safe casserole dish and stir in the chopped parsley.
Step 7
Back to your now empty pot, add a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Add the orzo and toast for 3-4 minutes. Doing this will ensure your orzo doesn’t get mushy or stick together later. Then, stir the orzo into the vegetable mix along with 1 1/2 cups of water and a drizzle of olive oil. Cover with aluminum foil.
Step 7
Bake for 35 minutes. Uncover the pan and continue to bake for 15-20 minutes until liquid is absorbed.
Serve warm and enjoy!