Today’s recipe is a manestra, a stovetop kritharaki (orzo) dish that’s made/known throughout Greece. When a dish becomes so widely made, the origins of a dish becomes blurred.

Manestra (the Greek dish) has it’s orgins in Corfu (Kerkira), with Venetian influences. There it’s known as Manestra ” κολοπίμπιρι / collu pimpiri “ (aka served with pepper).

Manestra is cooked on the stovetop, it’s cousin Gioiuvetsi is baked in the oven. Similar dishes but different.

The beauty in this dish is the simplicity of the recipe, the minimal ingredients and last but not least, the outstanding flavour which brings to mind the saying, “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” – Aristotle

Manestra from Corfu

Recipe by Peter MinakiCourse: Main, Pasta

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1 cup diced white onion

• 1/2 carrot, finely diced

• 1/2 stalk celery, finely diced

• 1 red pepper, diced

• 1 tsp. sweet paprika

• 1/2 tsp. ground pepper

• 2 cups Makvel kritharaki (orzo)

• 1/4 cup dry white wine

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 ripe tomatoes, peeled and diced

• 6 cups vegetable stock

• salt and pepper to taste

• Garnishes

• fresh ground pepper

• celery leaves

• grated Kefalotyri (or Romano) cheese

Directions

• Place a pot on your stovetop over medium heat. Add the olive oil, onion, carrot, celery, red pepper, paprika, ground pepper, a pinch of salt and sweat for about 5 minutes.
• Add the kritharaki/orzo into the pot, stir to coat for a couple of minutes. Add the wine, stir in. Add the bay leaves, diced tomatoes, hot stock, stir in.
• Cover and bring up to a simmer. Cook on medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes. The pasta should be cooked and the sauce, creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
• Take off the heat, remove the bay leaves. Divide and serve garnished with ground pepper, grated cheese, celery leaves.