The name’s a tongue twister, but this dish is a breeze to make! Goat cheese and roasted red peppers are the shortcuts for this creamy, smoky risoni recipe. Under $20 for 4 servings, ready in 20 minutes. Serve as a meal or side — it’s like a Mediterranean risotto!

Goat Cheese & Roasted Red Pepper Risoni (orzo)

Today’s recipe is a quick risoni dish that’s simple to make but a little bit special thanks to a bit of goat cheese stirred through which gives it a creamy edge. The distinctive, mild flavour of goat cheese with a touch of tang works perfectly with the Mediterranean flavours here, especially in this oozy risotto-like risoni recipe.

It’s one of those dishes that’s fast to make – yet company worthy. Especially if you keep harping on and on about how good goat’s cheese is. Wait, is that just me?? 😂

Ingredients in this risoni recipe

Here’s all you need to make this. If you don’t have goat’s cheese, you can substitute in a pinch with Danish feta which has a similar flavour and also melts. Else, sour cream, yogurt or even cream plus a squeeze of lemon will have a similar flavour.

• Risoni / orzo – Called risoni here in Australia and Italy but orzo in most of the rest of the world, I have a big soft spot for these little rice-shaped pastas. I love that it cooks quickly and that it tastes like risotto (minus all the patient-stirring work!).

  Find risoni in the pasta aisle at regular grocery stores. Substitute with other small pasta like ditalini, star shaped pasta or those tiny novelty pasta shapes (imagine this with dinosaur pasta!).

• Goat’s cheese (closer up photo above) – Cheese made from goat rather than cow’s milk and has a distinct tang to it. This recipe uses the goat’s cheese that has a texture like Danish feta (ie the soft creamy type of feta), picture above. When you crumble it, it smears on your fingers and when heated, it melts.

  Find it at regular grocery stores, usually sold in log form. Even my corner store sells it!

  Substitute with (in order of priority) Danish feta, sour cream, full fat Greek yogurt or regular cream plus a squeeze of lemon.

• Roasted red peppers / capsicum (aka bell peppers) – These are store bought jars with strips of red capsicum that have been charred and blistered so it has a wonderful smokey flavour and the flesh is super soft and sweet so it melds beautifully into the sauce. *Also see info box below for different names for roasted peppers*

  Find them in the pickle section of regular grocery stores though you can find them for considerably better values (especially in large jars) at continental and European delis and produce shops.

  Substitute – Sauté fresh strips of capsicum, zucchini half moons, asparagus, mushrooms or any vegetable you’d like, though you won’t get the same smoky flavour. Or use other jarred/canned vegetables like artichokes, asparagus, sun dried tomatoes.

• Tomato passata – Smooth pureed, strained pure tomatoes, sometimes labelled “tomato puree” in the US (here’s a photo of Mutti tomato passata sold at Walmart). It’s readily available in Australian supermarkets nowadays, alongside pasta sauces and costs around the same as canned tomato. Passata is excellent for making thick, smooth tomato based sauces, like we are doing in today’s risoni recipe. More on tomato passata here.

  Substitute: For those of you in the US, substituted with the what you call tomato puree (like Hunts). Otherwise, use canned crushed tomato (though the sauce colour won’t be such a vibrant red colour).

• Kalamata olives – Adds fabulous little briny pops into this dish, and flavours the sauce.

• Red onion and garlic – The aromatic flavour bases for this recipe.

Finishing: basil or parsley – or nothing

Finding myself with an abundance of extra basil from stress-testing the basil storing method I shared last week, I decided on a whim to finish the dish with basil and it made it even better! Though until this week, I’ve always been finishing it with just a small amount of parsley.

But in all honesty, there is so much going on here already with the olives and goat’s cheese and roasted peppers, it is still 100% delicious without any fresh herbs. I’d probably add a teaspoon of dried oregano into the sauce though!

How to make this risoni recipe

It takes around 20 minutes to make from start to finish, including preparation. There’s little chopping to be done!

Workflow – Get the risoni boiling then start on the sauce. The cooked risoni can sit in the colander until you’re ready to stir it in.

1. Cook risoni until a tiny bit under done ie. very al dente. The centre shouldn’t be raw-pasta hard but just a bit firmer than you’d like to eat. Reason: the risoni will keep cooking in the sauce so we don’t want it fully cooked at this stage.

2. Reserve pasta water – Just before draining, scoop out a mugful of the pasta cooking water. We will be using this to loosen the olive pasta sauce later. It’s good practice to use the pasta cooking cooking water because it’s got starch from the pasta in it which helps the sauce cling to the little bits of risoni (I preach this for every single pasta recipe I share!).

3. Drain and rinse – Drain the risoni then give it a quick rinse under cold tap water to rinse off excess starch. If you skip this step, the sauce can get a little too “gluey” from excess starch, and also prevents the risoni from sticking together as it’s sitting in the colander waiting to be used.

4. Sauté – Using a large deep skillet (the one I use is 30cm/12″) on high heat, cook the onion first for around 2 minutes until it starts to soften. Then add the strips of capsicum/peppers and garlic. Cook for another 1 minute until the garlic is light golden, and the onion is pretty floppy.

5. Sauce – Add the passata and olives, then stir.

6. Simmer – Bring to a simmer then lower the head and simmer for 3 minutes on medium heat, stirring every now and then. During this step, the briny, salty flavour from the olives and the smoky flavour from the capsicum/peppers releases into the sauce which adds flavour. YUM!

5. Risoni – Add the cooked risoni, salt and about 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water. Stir through until the risoni is coated in the sauce.

6. Basil and melty goat’s cheese – Add most of the goat’s cheese (reserve a bit for garnish) and stir it through until it melts and becomes creamy (it melts quickly). Then stir through the basil (if using), just before serving.

Then you’re done! Ladle into bowls or into a large serving bowl, sprinkle with goat’s cheese (or just add a clump if it’s soft and sticky – more impactful!) and little basil leaves or chopped basil. Then dig in!

How to serve this risoni dish

This is substantial enough and certainly interesting enough to be a meal by itself. Essentially, this is a vegetarian pasta dish (despite the repetitive comparisons I make to risotto!) which incorporates a decent amount of vegetables (tomato, onion, capsicum/bell peppers) so you don’t need to add a side dish to round out your meal.

However, it’d also be terrific served as a side dish with a simple piece of protein. I actually meant to photograph it with a piece of pan fried fish or prawns/shrimp plonked on top, cooked with just salt and pepper. Then the idea would be to eat the protein with the oozy risoni playing multiple roles here – like the sauce as well as a starch and vegetable side.

Try it with my everyday marinated chicken breast (named as such because it’s made with pantry staples), Italian marinated chicken, Lemon Garlic Marinated Pork Chops or pile over some Greek Lamb Meatballs (imagine that!).

Hope you enjoy! – Nagi x

SUGGESTED SIMPLE PROTEINS TO SERVE WITH THIS RISONI

Crispy Pan Fried Fish

Just a great Chicken Marinade

Lemon Garlic Marinated Grilled Pork Chops

Italian Dressing Chicken Marinade

Greek Meatballs (Keftedes)

Mediterranean Recipes

Watch how to make it

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Creamy Goat Cheese & Roasted Red Pepper Risoni (Orzo)

Recipe video above. Goat's cheese and jarred fire-roasted red peppers (capsicum) makes this dish special even though it's quick and simple! The sauce is a little bit smoky and a little bit creamy, while olives add briny freshness. Tastes like a Mediterranean risotto!

Get the risoni boiling first then start on the sauce. Serve as a meal or as a side with a simple piece of cooked fish, prawns/shrimp, chicken or pork chops.

Course Mains

Cuisine Mediterranean vibes, Western

Keyword orzo recipe, risoni recipe

Prep Time 7 minutes minutes

Cook Time 13 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 452cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 250g/ 8oz risoni pasta (orzo) , or other very small pasta (tiny stars, novelty shapes like dinosaurs, ditalini)
• 2 tsp cooking salt/kosher salt , for cooking the pasta
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 red onion , halved then cut into 5mm / 0.2″ slices (sub regular onion)
• 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
• 310g/ 10oz jar chargrilled / fire-roasted sliced red capsicum/peppers (~ 1 cup), drained, roughly chopped into 2.5cm / 1″ pieces (Note 1)
• 2 cups tomato passata or puree (Note 2)
• 1/2 cup sliced Kalamata olives or other briny/pickly thing (like pickles, chopped)
• 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 120g/4 oz goat's cheese , the creamy feta type (Note 3)

Finishing – CHOOSE (Note 4)

• 1 tightly packed cup basil leaves
• 1 tbsp roughly chopped parsley , plus extra for garnish

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Boil risoni – Bring a small pot or large saucepan of water to the boil. Add salt and cook risoni until just under al dente (ie still a bit firm inside) as it will cook more in the sauce. 8 minutes for me.
• Drain & rinse – Just before draining, scoop out 1/2 cup pasta cooking water and set aside. Drain, rinse briefly under the tap then leave the risoni in the colander while you finish the sauce.
• Sauté – Heat the oil in a large non stick skillet (30cm/12") over high heat. Add onion and cook for 2 minutes until starting to soften. Add garlic and capsicum strips. Cook for 2 minutes until the onion is softened.
• Simmer – Add tomato and olives. Bring to a simmer, lower heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring every now and then.
• Melt goat cheese – Add cooked risoni, salt, pepper and the pasta cooking water. Stir to combine. Add most of the goat's cheese (reserve some for garnish), stir so it melts.
• Basil & serve – Stir through basil or parsley just before serving. Divide between bowls. Crumble over reserved goat's cheese, sprinkle with extra basil. Dig in with a spoon!

Notes

1. Fire roasted red peppers / capsicum – Find it alongside olives, it’s smoky, soft, slippery and a terrific shortcut here. Substitution ideas – sauté your own capsicum strips or other vegetables (zucchini, mushrooms, asparagus), or use other fire roasted vegetables you find (asparagus is one I’ve seen).

PS It’s not spicy, despite the name “pepper” 🙂

2. Tomato passata – Sold in bottles in the pasta aisle (sometimes canned tomato section). US: substitute what what you call “tomato puree” (eg Hunts). More on passata in post or here. Substitute with 600g/21 oz (1 1/2 cans) canned crushed tomato and simmer for a few extra minutes.

3. Goat cheese is cheese made from goat milk which has a distinctive creamy texture with a mild flavour that is a bit tangy. You need the soft feta sort for this dish, usually sold in log form – melts beautifully into sauces. Sold at regular grocery stores. Substitute with Danish feta (ie the creamy sort) or sour cream (1/2 to 3/4 cup). Else, yogurt or 1/3 – 1/2 cup cream plus a squeeze of lemon juice will deliver a similar flavour.

4. Herb finishes – Basil is my first preference, the freshness really elevates the dish. If I don’t have it, I use parsley or add 1 tsp dried oregano when I add the garlic.

Leftovers will keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Reheat in microwave and loosen as needed with splash of water to make it oozy again.

Nutrition per serving. Calorie savings from using heavy on low-cal vegetables – tomato passata, fire roasted red peppers (it’s not packed in oil) and onion.

Nutrition

Calories: 452cal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 1531mg | Potassium: 869mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1427IU | Vitamin C: 49mg | Calcium: 126mg | Iron: 4mg

Use the leftover risoni for one of these recipes!

Risoni/Orzo Salad with Crispy Salami Bits

One-pot Greek chicken risoni (orzo)

Quick Chicken & Vegetable Risoni recipe (Orzo)

Greek Lemon Orzo Salad (Risoni)

Creamy Salmon Risoni / Orzo (15 Minute Meal)

One pot chicken risoni with crispy salami

Creamy Mushroom and Spinach Orzo (Risoni) (One Pot)

Life of Dozer

We celebrated Christmas last weekend as it was the first weekend everybody was back in Sydney! As you might imagine, there was a fair number of food gifts (our entire extended family is very into food!) so Dozer spent a fair amount of time snuffling around the pile of presents.

The expression on his face when I was coaxing him to get out of there… “are you talking to me?” “I don’t understand what you’re saying” 😇

In the end, I gave up and joined him. 😂

The post Creamy Goat Cheese & Roasted Red Pepper Risoni (orzo) appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

This is my copycat of the FAMOUS Nando’s Peri Peri Chicken Burger! A homemade Peri Peri Sauce does double duty as the marinade for the Portuguese style grilled chicken and to make a tingly creamy Peri Peri “Perinaise” pink sauce. Excellent for summer BBQs!

Nando’s copycat Peri Peri Chicken Burgers

Nando’s is a global chain that is known for the Portuguese style flame grilled chicken cooked with their famous Peri Peri sauce. Here in Australia, it has a cult following!

Since I created this copycat version, it’s been a favourite for outdoor BBQ gatherings, and for many several years it was one of my most requested recipes in my circles (until they tasted the Next Big Thing!). The Peri Peri sauce is a chilli based sauce which comes in a variety of spice levels, from very mild to very hot. It’s full flavoured yet fresh, and I describe it as “a party in your mouth”.

It does triple duty as a marinade for the chicken and two sauces for the burger: a creamy tingly pink Perinaise sauce (also a shameless Nando’s copycat) and using it as a sauce as is. The combination of the creamy sauce with the fresh Peri Peri sauce in the burger is a killer!

About the copycat Nando’s Peri Peri Sauce

The homemade Nando’s Peri Peri sauce is a copycat that tastes remarkably similar to the store bought version. But better, because it’s made from real ingredients!

It’s a blend of fresh red chillies, capsicum/bell pepper, garlic, vinegar, oil plus herbs and spices (paprika, oregano, onion, sugar, salt, pepper). A concoction I cobbled together after an inspection of the Nando’s bottle – minus additives and other mystery ingredients. 🙂

As for the making part? Just blitz everything together. It literally takes seconds!

Ingredients in Nando’s Peri Peri Sauce recipe

Here’s what goes into my copy-cat Nando’s Peri Peri Sauce. If you compare my recipe to the ingredient label of Nando’s Peri Peri sauce, you will notice that I don’t use exactly the same ingredients because this is a home-version copycat, intended to achieve a similar flavour using readily accessible ingredients.

For example, Nando’s uses a variety of chillies (cayenne pepper, serrano and African Birds Eye chillis). I can’t imagine making this sauce without making it insanely spicy using only fresh chillis, so I’ve used capsicum (bell pepper) instead for spice-free pepper flavour, and added spiciness using Birds Eye chillis. Don’t worry if you can’t get these, it’s easy to substitute – see below.

• Birds Eye chillis – These are common here in Australia and are fairly spicy. Use 3 for a mild Peri Peri sauce (this is what I use), 1 for barely noticeable, and 5 for extra spicy. Note: Bear in mind that the spiciness is diluted in the end result through the cooking process, addition of mayonnaise and sour cream into the Perinaise Sauce. So I like to make my sauce a little spicier than ideal because I know it’s not that spicy once used in the burger.

  Substitute with other fresh chillies of choice or dried chilli flakes (red pepper flakes). Start with less, blitz, then you can add more later and blitz again.

• Capsicum / bell pepper – As noted above, this adds good fresh pepper flavour into the Peri Peri sauce without spiciness. Use a medium one – if it’s too big, your sauce may end up too thick.

• Garlic – It’s not Peri Peri Sauce without a good amount of garlic in it!

• Malt vinegar – This brown vinegar is made from ale, is less sharp and has a warmer flavour than regular white vinegar. Substitute with red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.

• Oil – Any plain neutral flavoured oil is fine here, like canola or vegetable oil, or even an olive oil.

• Spices – Just regular everyday spices! Onion, paprika and dried oregano. I like to use smoked paprika when I’ve got it for a touch of free extra smokey flavour. However, I use regular paprika in a pinch if I don’t have it.

• Red food colouring (optional) – To give it a red colour boost! Entirely optional. I use natural red food colouring so I don’t hold back using colouring in foods. 🙂

Ingredients for Peri Peri Chicken Burgers

And here’s what you need to make the burgers.

Chicken breast or thigh fillets

Thigh fillets is the easier option because you can just use them without pounding as they are a juicier cut of meat. For breast, I like to pound them so they are more even thickness so they cook through evenly. Makes a difference for this lean cut!

Peri-naise (pink sauce!)

This is my copycat of the Nando’s Peri-Naise which is a Peri Peri creamy mayonnaise sauce. I think Nando’s just uses mayonnaise but I prefer to lighten it up a bit by using a mix of sour cream and mayonnaise, that way I can be generous with the amount I use on my burgers and not feel as guilty! (And trust me, you will want to be generous with this sauce, it’s an essential part of the Peri Peri Burger experience!).

The other burger things

And lastly, to complete our Peri Peri Burgers, we just need some soft white rolls, lettuce and tomato. Any lettuce you have / can get is fine here. I use butter lettuce (the lovely soft kind). Rocket and baby spinach will be great too, though I’d probably avoid using chicory or other bitter lettuce varieties. If using cos (romaine) or iceberg lettuce, consider shredding it.

How to make Nando’s Peri Peri Chicken Burgers

I pound chicken breast to make it even thickness so it cooks evenly, and it makes the meat more tender. This makes a real difference here because breast is such a lean cut and prone to drying out (though the marinade also helps trap juices).

Because thigh fillets are a juicier cut, I do not pound them unless they are extremely thick (ie make them a bit thinner) or if they are not large enough (pound to make a larger footprint so they are a little larger than the buns).

1. Pound and trim breast

1. Cover the chicken breast with go-between, a freezer bag or double layer of cling wrap, to protect it from tearing when you pound.

2. Pound to 1cm / 0.4″ thickness using a meat mallet or rollling pin.

3. Cut the chicken into burger-size pieces that are a little larger than the buns. Factor in 20% shrinkage!

4. Comparison or bun to chicken piece. 🙂

2. MAKING THE BURGERS

1. Peri Peri Sauce – Blitz all the ingredients until smooth using a stick blender, food processor, or blender. It won’t be completely smooth, but it shouldn’t have hard lumps in it.

2. Peri-naise sauce – Use 3 tablespoons of the Peri Peri Sauce and mix it with the sour cream and mayonnaise to make the Per-naise.

3. Marinade chicken – Then use 1/2 cup of the Peri Peri Sauce to marinade the chicken. Marinade for at least 3 hours, up to 24 hours. (Even 48 hours is fine, I just find beyond 24 hours I don’t notice any difference).

4. Cook the chicken on the stove or BBQ on medium heat, or medium high if your stove is on the weaker side. Don’t cook it on too high a heat else the marinade stuck on the chicken will completely burn! We just want some authentic flame-grilled chargrilled spots on the chicken, without making it completely black.

   Rest – Once cooked, rest the chicken for 3 to 5 minutes before assembling the burger. This step allows the juices inside the chicken to be re-absorbed into the meat fibres so you have lovely juicy chicken. Don’t skip this step!

5. Assemble burger – Here’s my assembly order: Peri-naise slathered on the base, then top with lettuce, tomato and the chicken. Then I slather with more Peri-naise and a heaping dollop of extra Peri Peri Sauce.

6. Eat! Pop the lid onto your burger then sink your teeth into it!

Excellent for summer gatherings

This Nando’s Peri Peri Burger was one of my “go-to” recipes for gatherings during warmer months. I’d marinade huge quantities of chicken then happily let others volunteer to do the BBQ’ing while I did important hostessing duties like sipping wine and discussing the best value hairdressers in town with my friends.

As with all my “food for a crowd”, I put these burgers out in a DIY situation. Baskets of soft rolls, platters of lettuce and tomato slices with bowls of the Perinaise Sauce and Peri Peri Sauce on the side. Then everyone builds their own burgers. NO PLATES. Te he! Napkins only! Don’t make me wash up! -Nagi x

PS Pictured in post with a peek of homemade wedges. Boy, what a combo. And excellent for dipping into the Perinaise Sauce!

Watch how to make it

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Nando’s Peri Peri Chicken Burgers

Recipe video above. This is my copycat of Nando's famous Peri Peri Chicken Burgers! Chicken marinated in a homemade Peri Peri sauce, seared for an authentic char, piled onto warm buns and slathered with a homemade "Perinaise" (Peri Peri Mayonnaise sauce). This is moreish, burger perfection, better than take-out!

Serve with French fries or wedges for a real-deal Nando's experience at home. Excellent for gatherings – marinade large batches of chicken, cook on the BBQ, set up a DIY burger station!

Course BBQ, Dinner

Cuisine Portuguese

Keyword nandos chicken burger, per peri chicken, peri peri chicken burger

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Marinating time 3 hours hours

Total Time 3 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 472cal

Author Nagi | RecipeTin Eats

Ingredients

Peri Peri Sauce/Marinade

• 1 – 3 birds eye red chilies (1 is very mild, 3 is mildly spicy) (Note 1)
• 1 medium red capsicum / bell pepper , roughly cut into 1.5cm / 1/2" pieces
• 5 garlic cloves , peeled, whole
• 3 tbsp vegetable or canola oil , or other plain flavoured oil
• 4 tbsp malt vinegar (Note 2)
• 2 tbsp smoked paprika (substitute regular / sweet paprika)
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp onion powder (substitute garlic powder)
• 1 1/2 tsp white sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
• 3 drops red food colouring (optional, Note 3)

Perinaise

• 3 tbsp Peri Peri Sauce (above)
• 1/2 cup whole egg mayonnaise (or other mayonnaise)
• 1/4 cup sour cream (or yoghurt)

Burgers

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 chicken breasts or chicken thigh fillets , skinless boneless (each large enough for a burger)
• 4 soft rolls , split and lightly toasted (if desired)
• 2 tomatoes , sliced
• Lettuce of choice

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Prepare chicken breast – If using breast, pound to 1 cm / 0.4" even thickness (cover with go-between or freezer bags, use a meat mallet or rolling pin). Then trim each chicken piece so it is a bit larger than the buns (factor in 20% shrinkage when it cooks).
• Peri Peri Sauce – Put the Per Peri Sauce ingredients in a jug and blitz until smooth using a stick blender, or other appliance of choice (food processor, blender, NutriBullet).
• Marinade chicken – Pour 1/2 cup of the sauce into a bowl or ziplock bag. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Marinate for at least 3 hours, or up to 24 hours, in the fridge.
• Perinaise – Mix together the Perinaise ingredients. Set aside.
• Cook chicken – Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a fry pan over medium / medium-high heat, OR brush BBQ grill with oil then heat. Cook breast for 3 minutes on each side, thighs for 4 minutes (in batches, if they won't fit in the pan), lowering the heat as needed if they are charring too much (char = legit!).
• Rest – Remove the chicken onto a plate, loosely cover with foil and rest for 5 minutes. (Meanwhile, toast the rolls)
• Assemble – To make the burgers, spread the base of a roll with Peri-naise. Top with lettuce, tomato then chicken, then top with more Peri-naise and extra Peri Peri sauce if desired!

Notes

1. Spiciness – Use the whole Birds Eye chillies, with the seeds. 1 is barely noticeable in the assembled burger, 3 chillies is on the low end of mildly spicy. If you like spicy, I’d go up to 5. You can always start with less, taste the sauce then add more chilli and blitz. (Remember, spiciness is diluted in finished burger).

Best substitute – Thai chillies, followed by red pepper flakes / chilli flakes (start with less, blitz, taste, repeat as needed).

2. Malt vinegar – Brown vinegar made from ale, nuttier and less sharp than most vinegars. Substitute with red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.

3. Red food colouring – For legit looking Peri Peri red sauce. Entirely optional!

Leftovers – Cooked chicken will keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Peri Peri sauce will keep for 3 to 4 days (or freeze 3 months), and the pink sauce will keep for at least a week.

Nutrition per burger, assuming half the pink sauce is used (average usage) and 1/2 of the Per Peri sauce is leftover too (use it for dipping, pour over veg, dollop on scrambled eggs, spread like pesto on sandwiches. SO GOOD!).

Nutrition

Calories: 472cal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 1326mg | Potassium: 711mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 2769IU | Vitamin C: 42mg | Calcium: 119mg | Iron: 3mg

More Burgers, Sliders and Sandwiches

Big, Juicy Hamburgers

Steak Sandwich

Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich

Cheeseburger – double or single

Special Burger Sauce

Hot Ham and Cheese Sliders

Slow Cooker Honey Buffalo Chicken Sliders

Chili dogs

Burgers

Sandwiches and Sliders

Life of Dozer

And Life of Dozer on the book tour continues!

Last weekend we had two more book signing events in Sydney. The first at Westfield Warringah Mall, my old stomping ground where it all began. So lovely to talk to locals!! And on Sunday in the Shire at Westfield Miranda. 

Dozer was quite the social butterfly, wondering around amongst the crowds to greet everyone while I was firmly planted at my signing station! Here’s a little home video I put together. The sight of Dozer waddling through the Westfield is just everything!

The next legs of the book tour are interstate, which sadly Dozer cannot accompany me to because, can you believe it, Australia wouldn’t change their aviation laws and allow dogs in the cabin so he could come with me. 😤😂

Nevertheless, he is with me in spirit. Or more specifically, in my homework, as I continue to sign book plates on his behalf at every opportunity, everywhere and anywhere!

The post Nando’s Peri Peri Chicken Burger appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

The best haloumi recipe I know – Haloumi Fries! Think – French fries, but better. The outsides are crunchier (thanks panko!) and the insides are warm, salty haloumi cheese. Guaranteed crowd pleaser for a party or as a starter. Fry, bake or air-fry!

It started as a salad.

I found myself in a typical situation of having an excess stash of something (haloumi in this case) because it was steeply discounted and I couldn’t resist. Let’s make a gorgeous haloumi salad! I declared enthusiastically, channelling the virtuous side of me.

There were several iterations. And they were all delicious……but then someone had the genius idea to try haloumi fries and all of a sudden, the salads were long forgotten.

So yes, these haloumi fries evolved from salads. You can connect the dots, right? 😂

( I did share a haloumi salad recipe once – it’s here.)

Just briefly, on Haloumi Fries (& haloumi)

Named as such because they look like fries except made with haloumi, Haloumi Fries are not a new thing. They have been on the menu of Mediterranean and plenty of non-Mediterranean restaurants/bars/bistros for years, and there’s loads of recipes on the internet.

Haloumi is a cheese from Cyprus that’s firm, salty and briny. It’s a bit like Greek feta. However, feta crumbles whereas halloumi does not crumble as well, halloumi goes golden brown when pan fried whereas feta does not, and feta semi-melts when heated whereas halloumi does not. Which is why it’s ideal for making fries!

What you need for Haloumi Fries

Here’s what you need to make Haloumi Fries:

• Haloumi – or halloumi. A firm briny cheese from Cyrus, feels like Greek feta. Find it vac-packed in the cheese section. Has an excellent long shelf life so I stock up when discounted!

• Panko breadcrumbs – A Japanese breadcrumb favoured for the extra-crispy coating it gives crumbed foods. You can buy it at most large grocery stores (Coles, Woolworths) in the Asian foods section but cheaper in Asian stores! Substitute with regular breadcrumbs if you can’t find it.

• Spices – For seasoning the flour coating. Adds extra flavour. Not essential…but why skip it?? The Italian herbs is just the generic store bought pre-mix sold in every grocery store. I use it regularly in my recipes, like the One Pot Beef Pasta I shared recently!

• Egg and flour – The glue, to make the panko stick to the haloumi.

• Oil for shallow frying – Canola, vegetable or any other neutral flavoured oil. Even olive oil (but don’t waste your money using pricier extra virgin olive oil!).

Garlic yogurt sauce

We’re making a quick garlic dipping sauce today using yogurt as the base. The cool tangy creaminess with lovely hit of garlic goes so well with the haloumi fries, so don’t skip it!

• Plain yogurt – Not sweetened. Preferable Greek. If you use low-fat, it won’t have the same mouthfeel because it’s not as thick and creamy, but it will work just fine!

• Garlic – Finely grated using a microplane or grater so it disappears into the yogurt.

• Lemon – Just a touch, for extra freshness. Substitute with vinegar.

• Extra virgin olive oil – To add a bit of richness to the sauce. We only use a tiny amount.

• Salt – For seasoning. Again, just a tiny amount!

How to make haloumi fries

It’s actually relatively fast because they only take 90 seconds to fry. I can do a batch in 20 minutes from start to finish. I also like that it’s more shallow-fried rather than deep fried. Just – less splatter, less oil to deal with, etc etc. (I’m a selective deep frier. ie I only fry when it’s really worth it!).

1. Cut the haloumi into sticks around 1.5cm / 0/6″ thick. The length will depend on the shape of your haloumi. I cut mine into 5 slices lengthwise, then each into half which makes uniform fries, and get 20 pieces.

2. This is me cutting the slice in half to form a fry. 🙂

3. Garlic dipping sauce – Probably should have put this first because I do it first! Just mix the ingredients together then set aside while you make the haloumi fries. It needs at least 15 minutes to let the flavours infuse and meld.

4. Crumbing – OK, crumbing time! Flour first….then shake off excess.

5. Then egg – hold it up to let the excess drip off.

6. Than the panko. Press to adhere well and make sure there’s no naked patches!

7. Fry the halmoui sticks for just 90 seconds until golden and crisp in oil pre-heated to 180°C/350°F.

   Oil temperature testing – If you don’t have a thermometer, test the oil temp using a small cube of white bread. It should take 15 seconds to turn golden and crispy.

8. Drain the cooked fries on a paper towel lined tray. Then continue cooking.

   Because haloumi fries only take 90 seconds to cook, you don’t need to worry about keeping cooked ones warm in the oven.

   Once they’re all cooked, serve with the garlic dipping sauce!

Baking and air-fryer options

Whenever I share a deep fried recipe, the most common question is – can I bake this? And hot on it’s heels these days is – can I make this in my air fryer?

So today, we’ve tested it out and happy to report that you can!

The baked option is best made using my panko pre-toasting technique where the breadcrumbs are baked in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes to make them golden and crunchy before using. Otherwise, they will come out pale with brown spots rather than a beautiful even golden brown like when fried. It’s not a big deal – spread on the same tray you’ll be baking the haloumi fries. 🙂 Tried and proven technique that readers love in recipes such as Crunchy Chicken Tenders, Baked Filet-O-Fish and Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu! Crumb the halloumi, then bake on a rack at same temp for 20 minutes or until crunchy. 

The air fryer option works a treat! Pre-heat air fryer to 200°C/390°F for 5 minutes. Oil spray fries and spray the basket. Place all haloumi fries in a single layer in a 7 L/qt+ air fryer. Cook for 9 minutes until crispy and golden!

Difference to fried version (honest option) – The baked version is about 80% as good as the fried version. You lose some moisture from inside the haloumi because it takes longer to get the crunchy coating in the oven (even with pre-toasting). The air-fryer version, however, is excellent!

The crumbing on both the air fryer and baked versions split a wee bit simply because they take longer to cook than in the oil which is a super fast 90 seconds.

How to serve haloumi fries

Haloumi fries typically appear on menus as a starter or a small-dish tapas option. It’s a food for nibbling, something completely different from your usual chips ‘n dips. Not that I have anything against chips ‘n dips, being the snack monster that I am (proof – my full dip recipe collection here!).

But, sometimes it’s nice to have something different to the usual that will impress the pants off your family and friends. The combination of the warm, softy, salty halloumi insides and the golden crunchy crumb with the cooling garlicky yogurt dip is every snack monsters’ dream come true. I really hope you try this one day! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Haloumi fries

Recipe video above. These can be baked, air-fried or shallow fried (best, most golden and crunchy and fastest). It's the best haloumi recipe I know – Haloumi Fries! Think – french fries, but a whole lot more interesting and faster to make. Super crunchy outside (thanks panko!) and warm, salty haloumi cheese insides.

Excellent snack, starter for a Mediterranean menu or passing around at parties.

PS The garlic dipping sauce is the perfect dunking sauce.

Course Appetizer, Snack, Starter

Cuisine Greek, Western

Keyword haloumi fries, haloumi recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 5

Calories 403cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 360g / 12oz haloumi cheese blocks , 2 x 180g/6 oz blocks (Note 1)
• 2 cups canola oil (or other natural oil)
• 2 large eggs , whisked

Flour dredge:

• 1/2 cup plain/all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp Italian herbs (Note 2)
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika (sub ordinary paprika)
• 1 tsp ground white pepper (sub black pepper)

Crumbing:

• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs – or ordinary breadcrumbs (Note 3)
• 1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt

Yoghurt garlic dipping sauce:

• 1/2 cup plain Greek yoghurt
• 1 garlic clove , finely grated using a microplane
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice (sub white vinegar)
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Garlic dipping sauce – Mix ingredients in a bowl and set aside for at least 20 minutes to let the flavours develop.
• Cut the haloumi into fries around 1.5cm / 0/6" thick. The length will depend on the shape of your haloumi. I cut mine into 5 slices lengthwise, then each into half which makes uniform fries, and get 20 pieces.
• Dry – Pat halloumi mostly dry using tea towels.
• Prep – Using 3 bowls large enough to toss the halloumi, put the eggs in one bowl, mix Flour Dredge in another and mix Crumbing ingredients in a third.
• Crumb – Dip a haloumi fry in flour, shake off excess. Dip in egg, allow excess to drip off. Coat in breadcrumbs, pressing to adhere, then place on tray. PRO: Do 2 at a time. 🙌🏻 Toss haloumi in breadcrumbs (by tossing the bowl) so you don't have to touch. 🙌🏻
• Heat oil in a medium sauce pan over high heat until it reaches 180°C/350°F (Note 4).
• Fry 5 haloumi sticks at a time for 1 1/2 minutes. Drain on a paper towel lined tray. Repeat with remaining haloumi.
• Air fry and baking – see Note 5.
• Serve hot with yoghurt garlic dipping sauce!

Notes

1. Halloumi – A firm white salty, briny Greek cheese usually sold in vac packs. It doesn’t melt into ooze when cooked which is why it’s ideal for making fries!

2. Italian herbs – Store bought mix you can find in any grocery store. Substitute with any mix of dried oregano, basil, parsley.

3. Panko breadcrumbs – A Japanese breadcrumb favoured for the extra-crispy coating it gives crumbed foods. You can buy it at most large grocery stores (Coles, Woolworths) in the Asian foods section but cheaper in Asian stores! Substitute with regular breadcrumbs if you can’t find it.

4. Oil test – If you don’t have a thermometer, test the oil temp using a small cube of white bread. For 180C/350F, it should take 15 seconds to turn golden and crispy.

5. Air fry option (excellent!) – Pre-heat air fryer to 200°C/390°F for 5 minutes. Oil spray fries and spray the basket. Place all haloumi fries in a single layer in a 7 L/qt+ air fryer. Cook for 9 minutes until crispy and golden!

Baking (haloumi dries out a little more than frying) – Spread breadcrumbs on tray, spray generously with oil then at bake 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced) for 8 to 10 minutes, shaking the tray halfway, until the breadcrumb is golden. (If you don’t do this, your fries will end up pale and splotchy not an even golden colour). Crumb the halloumi, then bake on a rack at same temp for 20 minutes or until crunchy. 

6. Leftovers reheat quite well! 10 minutes in a 180C/350F oven. It’s 90% as good. If making for a crowd, I’d happily serve reheated haloumi fries!

Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings. I made an estimation of oil that actually ends up on each piece and factored in leftover flour and breadcrumbs.

Nutrition

Calories: 403cal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 1178mg | Potassium: 129mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 826IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 793mg | Iron: 2mg

Life of Dozer

Reviewing today’s recipe video with me. (And drooling all over the keyboard in the process – but can we blame him? Absolutely not!)

The post Haloumi fries appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

This is a great quick recipe that’s got everything you need for a complete dinner, all cooked in one pot. Plenty of vegetables, with risoni/orzo and chicken. Tastes like risotto – loaded with tasty lemon-garlic Greek flavours!

One-pot Greek chicken risoni

Patience has never been my greatest virtue, so I shared many personal favourite recipes back in the early days when I first started this website in 2014. Every now and then, I like to revisit these older recipes and bring them to the forefront with sparkling new photos (that are in focus, wow!) and recipe videos where the chicken doesn’t have a weird green-ish/yellow tinge.

I have no embarrassment about my photos and videos from the early days because it reminds me how far I’ve come. But I do think it’s nice to spruce up these old recipes for your viewing pleasure – and hopefully convince you to try them. Like today’s new-old recipe: Greek chicken risoni! Complete dinner made in one pot, nice and quick to make, loaded with tasty Greek flavours.

What you need

Here’s what you need to make this Greek risoni recipe.

1. The risoni / orzo

Risoni is actually a pasta that is shaped like long grains of rice. Also known as “orzo”, find it in the pasta aisle. It costs around the same as spaghetti etc.

• Risoni / orzo – See notes above the photo.

• Chicken stock / broth and canned tomato – These are the liquids used to cook the risoni. Better than water because the risoni absorbs the flavour as it cooks!

• Tomato paste – This adds a little boost of tomato flavour to the sauce, as well as thickening the sauce slightly so you end up with that really lovely oozy texture in the finished dish. Not the end of the world if you don’t have it.

• Vegetables – I use zucchini / courgette and capsicum / bell pepper. Feel free to substitute with other sauté-able vegetables (carrot, beans, peas, fennel, corn, celery, frozen veg mix).

  Also, if someone could arrange for the global standardisation of food words, that would be super helpful. Thanks! 😂

• Onion and garlic – Flavour base aromatics.

• Cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes – I like to scatter across the surface before popping the dish in the oven. Love the juicy pops of tomato that burst in your mouth!

2. Lemon garlic chicken

A brief marinade of the chicken with classic Greek flavours makes the chicken that much tastier! Here’s what you need:

3. Garnishes (semi-optional)

I say it’s “semi-optional” because while you can skip the fresh oregano, the feta is highly, highly recommended!

How to make one-pot Greek chicken risoni

This recipe starts on the stove and is finished in the oven. I like this technique because it’s safer/easier – no need to stir – and the surface gets caramelised which means extra flavour. Anyone who’s made the fan-favourite One Pot Greek Chicken with Lemon Rice will know this method works well!

1. Marinade chicken in the lemon, olive oil, garlic and oregano. Just 20 minutes adds decent flavour into the chicken flesh.

   If you’re pressed for time, you can skip the marinade, there’s plenty of flavour in the overall dish and the chicken will absorb flavour as it braises with the risoni. If you want to get ahead, you can marinade the chicken overnight – or even freeze the chicken in the marinade. So many options! 🙂

2. Brown chicken – Use a large ovenproof skillet / frying pan, or large pot. The one I’m using is a 30cm / 12″ non-stick frying pan.

   Cook the chicken, just to seal the outside and lightly brown it. It will only take about 2 to 3 minutes. Don’t cook the chicken all the way through as it will finish cooking with the risoni.

3. Sauté aromatics and vegetables – Once the chicken is browned, remove it from the pan. Then sauté the garlic and onion, followed by the zucchini and capsicum.

4. Add everything else – Add the risoni and stir to coat in the tasty flavours. Then add everything else – canned tomato, tomato paste, chicken stock, salt and pepper – and stir to combine.

   Top with chicken and cherry tomatoes but don’t stir them in.

5. Oven 15 minutes – As soon as the liquid starts to bubble, transfer the pan to the oven (no lid) and cook for 15 minutes or until the risoni is tender.

6. Garnish and serve – Remove the pan from the oven. There should still be small pools of liquid on the surface. This is what we want – the dish should be oozy and saucy, not dry and stodgy!

   Drizzle the dish with lemon juice, crumble over the not-optional-feta then sprinkle with the optional-fresh-oregano. Then serve!

LOOK how juicy and irresistibly oozy it looks. It’s calling your name!

Spoon into bowls, and marvel how it looks just like your favourite risotto. Except, well, you know. You haven’t been slaving over a hot stove for 40 minutes, ladling in stock and stirring, stirring, stirring.

Leftovers, should there be any, will keep for 3 days but won’t be as oozy as pictured because the pasta will absorb the liquid. A little splash of water before you microwave goes a long way to salvage it, as does a fresh sprinkle of feta and spritz of lemon juice (I find lemon juice flavour fades with time).

Hope these sparkling new photos and in-focus-video convinces you to make this!! – Nagi x

PS The Ingredients list in the recipe below looks deceptively long. But actually, there are quite a few double ups because of the way I write the recipe. So don’t be put off! 😉

Watch how to make it

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One Pot Chicken Risoni

Recipe video above. A great one-pot meal for midweek, tastes like risotto but so much easier to make! Lemon garlic chicken, surprising amount of hidden vegetables, oozy tomato risoni (orzo), loaded with Greek flavours! The list of ingredients is looks long, but there's actually a lot of repeat ingredients. 🙂

Course Dinner, One Pot

Cuisine Greek(ish)

Keyword One Pot Dinner, orzo recipe, quick dinner, risoni

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 4 – 5

Calories 575cal

Author Nagi | RecipeTin Eats

Ingredients

Lemon Garlic Chicken

• 1 lb / 500g chicken thighs , boneless skinless (or breast), cut into 2 cm / 1" pieces
• 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper

Orzo/Risoni

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves , minced
• 1 small onion , finely chopped
• 2 zucchini (medium, or 1 large) , cut into 1cm / 1/3" cubes (Note 1)
• 1 red bell pepper/capsicum , cut into 1cm / 1/3" cubes (Note 1)
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth/stock , low sodium
• 14 oz / 400g canned crushed tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cups orzo/risoni (Note 2)
• 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes (1 Australian punnet)
• 1 tsp cooking salt (kosher salt)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Garnish (semi-optional)

• 2 tbsp lemon juice , drizzling at end
• 1/2 cup (100g) Greek feta cheese , crumbled (not optional)
• Fresh oregano leaves (optional)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Marinade chicken – Combine Marinated Chicken ingredients in a bowl and set aside for marinate for 20 minutes. (Skip if in hurry, can also do overnight)
• Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan).
• Brown chicken (raw inside) – Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a a large oven proof skillet or pot over high heat (Note 3). Cook chicken until lightly browned but still pink inside. Remove from skillet.
• Sauté vegetables – Add 1 tbsp olive oil, garlic and onion. Saute for 1 minute, then add zucchini and bell peppers/capsicum. Cook for 2 minutes.
• Add everything else – Add risoni, oregano, chicken broth, tomato, tomato paste, salt and pepper.
• Scatter chicken and cherry tomatoes across the surface (don't stir in).
• Bake 15 minutes – Once the liquid comes to a simmer, transfer to the oven (no lid) and bake for 15 minutes (or until risoni is just cooked, tender but still firm). There may be liquid on the surface still – that's good!
• Drizzle with lemon – Remove from oven, drizzle with lemon juice. Garnish with feta and fresh oregano leaves, if desired, then serve.

Notes

1. Veg – Any saute-able veg will work great here. Beans, carrots, celery, small bits of cauliflower or broccoli, even diced frozen veg.

2. Risoni, also known as orzo – Rice shaped small pasta sold in the pasta aisle, same price as spaghetti etc. Tastes like risotto, but much faster to cook!

3. Cooking vessel – Pictured skillet is a 30cm/12″ non stick skillet. 28cm/11″ deep skillet ok too, any smaller and you’ll need to be careful re: liquid overflow when transferring to oven. Else, use a large pot!

3. Risoni cooks very quickly! So transfer it to the oven as soon as it starts simmering on the stove, otherwise it will overcook by the time the bake time is finished (it cooks faster on the stove than the oven).

Check it after 15 minutes see if the orzo / risoni is done. Don’t worry if it’s done and it’s still quite saucy – that’s a GOOD thing! 🙂 The liquid evaporates quite quickly while serving. It was slightly wetter when I took it out of the oven.

4. Leftovers will keep for 3 days in the fridge though it won’t be as oozy as the risoni absorbs the sauce. Resurrect with a splash of water, and microwave.

Nutrition assuming 5 servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 575cal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 101mg | Sodium: 1174mg | Potassium: 1086mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1528IU | Vitamin C: 69mg | Calcium: 211mg | Iron: 4mg

Originally published January 2016. Spruced up with brand new photos and recipe video in February 2021 with minor recipe improvements (mainly process and writing). But most importantly, Life of Dozer section has been added!

More risoni / orzo recipes

I do love risoni! So quick to cook, tastes like risotto.

Creamy Mushroom and Spinach Orzo (Risoni) (One Pot)

Baked Creamy Feta Risoni

One Pot Orzo / Risoni Bolognaise

Creamy Salmon Risoni / Orzo (15 Minute Meal)

One Pot Italian Chicken & Orzo / Risoni Pasta

Greek Lemon Orzo Salad (Risoni)

Quick Chicken & Vegetable Risoni recipe (Orzo)

Life of Dozer

NO, he’s not being adorable, cuddling up to me. He’s trying to get to my toast on the other side.

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The post One-pot Greek chicken risoni (orzo) appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.