One of the joys of cooking is the opportunity to work hands-on with new or unfamiliar ingredients.  This week  I wanted a mild side-dish to accompany the leg of lamb; I also knew I wanted Greek flavors, mushrooms, and a carbohydrate in risotto-style or something very similar.  Off I went to the farmer’s market, which coincidentally has a booth selling exotic foods imported from Greece.  There I sampled and bought a wonderful 6 oz hunk of Kasseri, a type of cheese which I had never tasted before.  From Whole Foods I also bought whole wheat orzo and (on a whim) truffle oil, the latter of which is also foreign to my pantry.  Thus began my grand experiment!

The dish came together like this:

1 lb whole wheat orzo
a little more than 4 cups homemade chicken stock
1 small red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
truffle oil
baby shiitake mushrooms
oyster mushrooms, sliced
brown mushrooms, sliced
white wine

fresh oregano, chopped

fresh thyme, chopped
fresh Italian parsley, chopped
about 4 oz Kasseri cheese, grated
about ½-¾ cups cream
salt
white peppercorns, ground

1. Bring the chicken stock to a boil.  Place the orzo in the uncovered pot and stir frequently.  When the orzo is almost al dente, remove the pot from the burner and place the lid on top.  Set aside.  NB: Be sure you know what al dente means.  In al dente pasta, no part of the pasta should be hard or taste like flour; food which offers resistance to chewing is not necessarily hard.
2. In a saute or everyday pan, cook the red onions in oil with salt and pepper over medium high heat until the onions are very soft.  Add the garlic and cook an additional minute or until aromatic.
3. Add the mushroom to the pan, but do not add any additional oil.  Allow the mushrooms to brown.  Minor sticking is OK.
4. Deglaze the pan with wine, using a silicon or nylon spoon to scrape any additional browned bits off the bottom.
5. Open up the pot with the orzo.  By now the pasta should have absorbed all of the remaining chicken stock.  Put all the orzo in the pan with the mushrooms and onions.  Add the fresh herbs, the cheese, the cream, salt and pepper.  Toss the contents of the pan.  Serve.

The shiitake mushrooms and the cheese were a smashing combination.  I was a little worried the red onions might be a little too powerful, but the other ingredients held up pretty well.  The oyster mushrooms were perhaps a little too delicate in flavor, and it was a terrible mistake to saute with truffle oil instead of drizzling the stuff on afterward, but hey—the end result tasted great. I have very little to complain about (shucks). Update 10/05/09: Actually, I just remembered: I couldn't source fresh woodear mushrooms for this dish, but I found them this week at Nijiya Market. Next time go there and add them to the orzo. Very delicious.