This is a true standby—I almost always have the ingredients laying around, it can be put together in about 15 minutes, and I never get tired of it. The pomegranate/dried tomato/tarragon combo tastes rich, but it’s not; there’s not much fat in the dish. The recipe yields a generous amount of sauce, so you may have a few spoonfuls leftover to top your poached eggs the next morning. Good with a simple green salad, a crust of chewy sourdough, and a glass of zinfandel. Makes 4 servings.
10 sun-dried tomatoes
1½ cups orzo
2 cloves Garlic Confit, or one clove chopped fresh garlic
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup milk
1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses
1 tablespoon apricot jam, or other fruit jam
¼ cup chopped fresh tarragon, plus an extra tablespoon
Lavender Salt or kosher salt
Freshly ground black peppercorns
Set a large pot of salted water to boil. When it boils, add the tomatoes and orzo and stir. While that cooks, place the garlic, olive oil, milk, pomegranate molasses, and jam in the blender and puree. Set aside.
When the orzo is al dente, drain it. Remove the tomatoes and add them to the blender and puree with the other ingredients. Return the orzo to the pan, and add the sauce in increments: start with about half, mix well, and taste. Keep adding more sauce and mixing until it tastes just right. Adjust the salt and pepper, and top with the extra tarragon. |
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