Orzo pasta is made from wheat semolina and can be made with different flours. Gluten-free and organic barley pasta are available, but may be harder to find. Orzo can be made at home by cutting dough into small balls.
Orzo pasta doesn’t come in many varieties, but some variations of orzo make some types a better choice than others in some situations. Some restaurants use freshly made orzo pasta in their dishes, but it’s quite rare to find orzo this way. People sensitive to gluten can eat gluten-free pasta. Dried barley comes in rainbow colors for visual appeal in soups and salads, and some are made with organic grain. Orzo pasta is made from the same wheat semolina as other types of pasta, so choosing a preferred brand of dry pasta for orzo can help a cook choose the best tasting type.
Types of barley that differ from regular store-bought pasta include organic barley and gluten-free barley. Gluten-free barley pasta is usually made with lentils. For diners sensitive to wheat gluten, this type of barley pasta is the best choice, although the flavor and texture differ from wheat semolina barley pasta. This type of pasta is usually available in grocery stores. Special types of barley, such as organic or gluten-free barley, can be harder to find and may require a trip to a specialty food store or custom pasta maker.
Orzo pasta, also known as risoni, is made from wheat with pieces that resemble barley. Since it resembles coarse rice, barley is often used to create a mock risotto often known as pasta risotto. It is typically made with wheat semolina, but can be made with other flours, including pastry flour, whole-wheat flour, or all-purpose flour, or a blend of different flours. Different flour blends create different barley textures. The size of the orzo can also be slightly different, although the different density of different orzo pastes means that they expand differently, growing to different sizes after cooking.
These little pieces of dough can also be made at home by cutting the dough into small orzo-shaped dough balls. Standard pasta dough ingredients include wheat semolina with salt, eggs, and water. Some cooks use all of the egg yolks, rather than including the egg whites, for a richer pasta that is more yellow in color than whole egg pasta. Yolk-only recipes call for the use of more eggs to make up for the whites that aren’t included in the dish. For the competent cook in need of gluten-free pasta, forming orzo from store-bought gluten-free pasta dough can be easier than trying to locate or order pre-made orzo pasta.
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