Kritharaki is nothing else than rice-shaped pasta, something like Italian orzo, but a bit longer. In Greece, not only in Crete, kritharaki pasta is the main ingredient of giouvetsi (pronounced juwetsi) – a baked dish with lamb, tomatoes and cinnamon. You can get it in almost every store, but I couldn’t find it in Poland, but you can successfully replace it with orzo.
You won’t find a recipe for this version of kritharaka on the Internet or in cookbooks. This is no surprise, because it is so simple that it is hard to believe that it can be exceptionally good. But, I swear it is!
Ingredients:
2 small onions
1/2 cup olive oil*
700 g of pureed tomatoes
2 cups kritharaki or orzo pasta
1 cup of water
1 teaspoon grated oregano**
salt and pepper Method of execution
Pour olive oil into a pot
with a thick bottom and
set over medium heat.
Chop the onions into
small cubes and immediately
add them to the pot,
stirring constantly until the
onions are soft and
translucent, but not brown.
Add the pasta and stir
constantly for about 5
minutes.
After this time,
add tomatoes and oregano,
gradually add water. Stir
vigorously to prevent
burning until the pasta
has absorbed all the liquid.
Season with salt and pepper
and eat until your ears
quiver.
