Orzo with Andouille, Roma Tomatoes and Roasted Red Bell Peppers

Good evening, my loyal readers!

The weather in Kansas is not my ideal Spring weather!  I am, however, thankful that we have dodged all of that awful severe weather the south, southeast and east of here have been receiving.  Hopefully, it will go away fast!

For dinner this evening, I made orzo with andouille, roma tomatoes and roasted red bell peppers.  This is another recipe that is slightly adapted from its original version. 

Orzo is a pasta that is shaped like rice, and people often mistake it for rice.  For instance, when I went to purchase the orzo from Whole Foods (from the bulk bins) during my weekly grocery shopping outing, the cashier asked what I was making with the rice.  I informed her that it was orzo and not rice.  :)

I found this recipe in Giada's Kitchen:  New Italian Favorites by Giada de Laurentiis, and the recipe is called "Orzo with Sausage, Peppers, and Tomatoes".  There is also an online version found on the Food Network site: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/everyday-italian/orzo-with-sausage-peppers-and-tomatoes-recipe/index.html.  These two, however, differ from each other.

I went by the book version and adapted it a little bit to fit my tastes.  I will just tell you what I did according to the online version, with book version comments inserted.

*Instead of the two bell peppers (red and orange), I used two jarred roasted red bell peppers (the same as the book), so you can skip pretty much all of the first paragraph, except cutting the peppers in 1/4" strips.  You can roast your own peppers if you feel the need to; I just didn't have the patience for it this evening.
*I used low-sodium chicken broth, not stock.  The book version calls for broth as well.
*I used Andouille (instead of Italian turkey sausage) and used five large links with the casings removed.  Both the online version and the book version call for Italian turkey sausage.
*I used three cloves of garlic (online and book call for one).
*Instead of plum tomatoes, I used three Roma tomatoes (online and book call for plum).
*I didn't include the parsley (it's an unnecessary fresh herb).
*I didn't use Ricotta; I used Parmesan.  The book calls for Parm as well.
*I didn't end up needing the 1/2 cup of reserved cooking liquid.  I would still save it, just in case.
*The rest of the recipe is pretty much the same as the book version.  :)

I am not a big fan of Italian sausage, so that's why I chose to use Andouille.  I think the dish turned out very well, and I highly recommend trying it!