Kritharaki is a small pasta in the shape of grains of rice, often called “orzo” outside Greece. Served plain with meat or fish, it is a simple, versatile side dish. Below, the tomato version, with a rice variant in the notes.
Kritharaki
Kritharaki
Method
01
Base
Sweat the onion until translucent in the olive oil. Add the tomato purée and fry for 1 min.
02
Sauce
Add the passata and the stock, together with the oregano, cinnamon, sugar and, if you like, the paprika. Bring to the boil.
03
Orzo
Add the orzo and cook gently for 10–12 min, stirring regularly. Add a splash of stock if the pasta gets too dry; it should stay creamy, not sticky.
04
Finish
At the end, stir in a knob of butter and a splash of olive oil for gloss and flavour. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with parsley.
05
Serve
Serve immediately, as a side dish with grilled meat.
Tips & notes
Greek red rice (ntomatorizo): want rice instead of orzo? Sweat 1 onion, fry 2 tbsp of tomato purée briefly, add 400 g of passata and 600 ml of stock with oregano and a pinch of cinnamon. Bring to the boil, add 300 g of long-grain rice and cook gently for 15–18 min until the liquid has been absorbed. Leave to rest for 10 min and finish with parsley. Keeps for 2–3 days in a sealed container in the fridge.
Variations
- Add cubes of feta for a creamier, more savoury result.
- Replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock for a vegetarian version.
Contains:
Milk
Gluten
Serve with
- Fileto moschari me saltsa Metaxa
| Calories | 238 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 33 g |
| Fat | 9 g |
| Fibre | 4 g |
Estimated values, calculated from standard nutritional values per ingredient.
