Yiouvetsi is pure comfort food! You start the process on the stove top and finish it in the oven.
The result is a combination of sweet and savory in one bite. Yiouvetsi is made with various types of meat including lamb, chicken and beef. I have even seen it made with shrimp. I had chosen pork this time because it was on sale. Simple decision.
The cooking principal is the same with any of the meats and each kind will alter the flavor of the dish.
Ingredients:
500g MISKO Risoni package (orzo pasta)
1 1/5 lbs pork stew meat
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion (finely chopped)
1 garlic clove (grated)
1 tbsp tomato paste.
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup of wine (red or white is fine)
1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
1 tsp of honey
3 beads of allspice
Salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup fresh parsley
A tsp dry oregano
Grated kefalotyri for serving
Directions:
Season the cubed pork stew meat with salt & pepper. Sear it on both sides in a large pot in olive oil. Get a nice crust on the pieces. Remove from the pot and set aside. The pork will release some fat. Sauté the onion followed by the garlic in that. If you need more olive oil, add a little bit to the pot.
Add the all spice and bay leaf, tomato paste and sauté to release the flavors.
Pour in the wine. I use whichever wine I have open. Red, white, rose. Each type will impart its own flavor character, and I don’t mind if it’s a little different every time I make something like this.
Add the pork back in. Pour in the tomato sauce & fill the can up twice with water. Be sure to cover the pork.
Add in the cinnamon stick. Bring it to a boil and then simmer covered on low for 90 minutes.
I know it’s ready when my spoon can easily take apart a piece of pork without effort. That’s what you are looking for. That’s your clock. You might need to add a little more water if it’s evaporated a bit. Add a cup or so at a time. Especially if the pork is not tender yet. You will need the extra liquid for the Misko Risoni orzo pasta.
I don’t salt this until the last couple of minutes in the pot. Salt and pepper to taste. If the tomato sauce tastes a bit acidic, add a teaspoon of honey to it. If you had some fresh ripe tomatoes that you grated, then it’s likely that the sauce will not need the honey.
Heat up a large pan with a drizzle of olive oil. Pour the Misko Risoni orzo pasta into the hot pan. You want to coat the pasta with the hot olive oil so that when you bake it in the sauce, it doesn’t all stick together in clumps.
Oil a large baking dish, like a lasagna pan. Add the orzo and then the pork stew yiouvetsi sauce. Mix it together. Sprinkle dry oregano on top.
Cover with aluminum foil and and bake at 350 F for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes. The orzo will have absorbed the liquid, but will still be separated little pieces.
After it comes out of the oven, mix it all together. Garnish with fresh parsley, and grated kefalotyri.
Kali Oreksi!!!
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