sometimes you buy a box of orzo because you need 1/2 cup of it to make soup, and then you find yourself wondering wtf you're going to do with the rest of the box. if you're like me, you start going through other recipes for something that could work. i had friday off (thank you so much for your service, dear veterans) so i knew i'd have time at some point this weekend to do a bit of cooking. i settled on this combination because there's nothing about it that i don't like.
the pancetta i bought was 3 ounces, so i used all of it. the drippings weren't as plentiful as you might think, so i had to keep an eye on the orzo to make sure it didn't take a sharp turn from toasted to burnt. i keep frozen broccoli on hand because costco sells frozen organic broccoli in a package of 4 one-pound bags and it is one of my standbys, so i decided to thaw a bag in the fridge overnight and add it to the orzo right before i added the chicken stock. i think i let the orzo cook for closer to 12 minutes and once again, your mileage may vary depending on how al dente you'd like the orzo to be. i didn't add salt because the pancetta was salty enough for my taste, but i did add some black pepper toward the end.
i had a couple of spoonfuls yesterday after i made it and decided to save it for later, since i knew the apple cider vinegar gave it a bit of tang and i wanted to see if the flavors would mellow out a bit. they didn't, really, so i would probably dial back the vinegar a bit if i made this again. the broccoli was a great addition, imo, and i'm sure you could add green beans or some other vegetable if you wanted a more well-rounded side dish.
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