Thyme For Cooking, the Blog: Salami Pizza with Orzo Crust and Don't Worry; Be Happy!

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January.

Time to tidy up the house and the life. (Who? Me???)

I have a few bloggy-things to catch up on. To start, Pat, of Pat's food blog, tagged me for the Happy Meme.

My first thought was: Me? Happy? What on earth is THAT? (It had been a bad day...)

Then I decided that maybe this little mental exercise was just what I needed.

I'm supposed to think of eight things that make me happy. Hmmmm.

Then I'm supposed to list them here for the world to see. Well, that narrows it down a bit right from the start, now, doesn't it? In no particular order other than my disordered brain:

1. Walking in the mountains on a warm, sunny day in May with mon mari and the girl-dogs, in the high passes, seeing the wild crocuses and daffodils coming into bloom, and higher up, the last of the snow drops.

2. That brief moment in time when I have finally finished all of the gardening chores for the month and before I realize that the new month is almost on me and I have to start all over.

3. That brief moment in time when I have all of the menus and recipes done for my website (menu planning service) for the week and before I realize that the new week is almost on me and I have to start all over.

4. Sitting in Business Class (a rare occurrence and thank you, Frequent Flyer Miles) on a Trans-Atlantic Flight with a stack of Discover (science, not food) magazines and a glass of champagne, knowing that I have 8 hours of both to look forward to without being disturbed - except to accept more champagne.

5. Walking on the beach with mon mari and the girl dogs on the rare sunny, warm day in January.

6. Perfectly seared Foie Gras with a glass of Sauternes; a dark chocolate truffle from a good chocolatier; a plate of paper-thin, Jamón Ibérico de Bellota (de Jabugo) with a glass of Vega Sicilia Unico; locally smoked Irish salmon with a pint of Guinness; still slightly warm pan au chocolat and a cafe creme; I could go on....

7. Sitting on a hillside terrace overlooking the sea (dogs beneath the table) at an outdoor cafe in early summer with a big bowl of moules, a plate of frite, a bottle of rose and mon mari beside me singing in the wilderness...

8. Sitting up late, gossiping with my sister, until 'Mother yells at us to go to bed' ....

Well, I have to say, 'That worked a treat!'. I feel much better now. I really should do that more often.

Rather than passing it on to only 8 others, I challenge you all to come up with your own list of 8 things that make you happy.... It makes one rather happy just to do it!

Of course, another thing that always makes me happy is pasta!

Presto Pasta Nights, created and lovingly nurtured by Ruth of Once Upon A Feast, keeps me happy with a wonderful collection of pasta each week.

Check her blog on Friday for the recap of pasta from around the world.

Remember Spaghetti Pie?

I was looking for something one-dish and easy last week. I was thinking Spaghetti Pie but my mind kept drifting to pizza.

I didn't want to bother making a crust.... and the rest, as they say, is history

I've used brown rice for this 'crust' but I was looking for something a bit different. Orzo cooks in 15 minutes, and when done 'risotto' style is a bit sticky. Perfect! I used salami, but pepperoni or ham would also be good.

Orzo Pizza

1/2 cup orzo
1 1/4 cups chicken stock
1 egg
1/4 cup (1 oz, 30gr) shredded mozzarella
1 tsp olive oil
8oz (250ml) tomato sauce
3 - 4 oz (100 - 125gr) salami
1/2 green pepper
1/2 onion
1/2 cup green olives
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

Put orzo and stock in small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and cook until orzo is done and stock absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove orzo and spread on a plate to cool for 5 minutes. Lightly oil a 9 - 10" (22 - 25 cm) pie or quiche plate. Lightly whisk the egg. Add 1/4 cup cheese and the orzo. Mix well. Pat into the quiche plate, working it up the sides as best you can. Bake in 400F (200C) oven for 10 minutes. Finely chop onion and pepper. Slice the olives in thirds. Remove crust and spread tomato sauce evenly over the top. Spread onions and peppers over the tomato sauce. Lay the salami slices on top. Sprinkle with olives and herbs. Spread cheese evenly over the top. Return to oven and bake for 20 minutes longer. Remove, and let rest a minute. Cut and serve.