Ingredients

• 200ml extra virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 rosemary sprigs
• 3 leeks, trimmed and cut into 1cm slices
• 250g orzo pasta
• 100g pecorino or other hard sheep’s or cow’s cheese, finely grated. Plus, extra to serve
• 1 handful of flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped 
• Finely grated zest of lemon
• 450ml of vegetable stock
• 125g mozzarella cheese
• Flaky sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Method

Heat the oven to 190°C/gas mark 5. Set a large, wide, heavy-based casserole over a low heat. Add the olive oil and when it’s warm add the sliced garlic and the rosemary. Allow the garlic to sizzle in the oil for a minute or so, then add the sliced leeks and the orzo along with half the grated sheep’s cheese, the chopped parsley and the lemon zest. Season with plenty of salt and pepper and stir once or twice, but try not to break up all the leek rounds.

Pour over the vegetable stock, give everything another stir, then use the tip of your wooden spoon to settle the leeks down into the stock. Tear over the mozzarella cheese and scatter over the remaining sheep’s cheese. Season the top with a little flaky salt and more black pepper and bake for 35–45 minutes, or until all the stock has been absorbed, and the top is crisping around the edges and turning golden.

Remove the pan from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving. This is perfect with a tomato salad and a little extra sheep’s cheese for grating. This is probably the ultimate way to make leeks the focus of a big, hearty, satisfying main course. It’s also a particularly easy-to-make dish, where everything gets baked together in a gentle oven.

Orzo is a type of pasta, not much bigger than a grain of rice. I use plenty of grated hard sheep’s cheese, but any aged cheese with lots of depth will work well. Have some good bread on standby to mop up the fragrant olive oil.

From Root, Stem, Leaf, Flower by Gill Meller (£27, Quadrille) out now

Ingredients

• 500g passata
• 1 tbsp rose harissa paste
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• pinch of ground cinnamon
• 4 tbsp dried orzo pasta (ensure egg-free)
• 1 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• handful of pitted green olives
• juice of unwaxed lemon
• generous pinch of sea salt
• small handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• seeds of pomegranate
• 2 tbsp plain soya yogurt

Method

Gentle heat, pops of fruity pomegranate, savoury olives and nutty chickpeas – this bake is substantial and nutritious, with very little preparation needed! Delicious and comforting bowl-food.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Whisk together the passata, harissa, oregano and cinnamon in the bottom of a roasting pan, then stir in the orzo and chickpeas. Cover the pan loosely with foil, then bake in the oven for 30 minutes. 

Discard the foil and scatter in the olives, then return to the oven for a further 20 minutes until the orzo is plump. Remove the roasting pan from the oven and squeeze over the lemon juice. 

Season with a little sea salt, then scatter over the flat-leaf parsley and pomegranate seeds. Spoon over the soya yogurt just before serving.

From Vegan Roasting Pan by Katy Beskow (£15. Quadrille) out now

Rebecca says: At most supermarkets now, you can find bags of delicious mixed Mediterranean vegetables in the freezer section, which are often pre-griddled for a flavour boost. Freezer products like these are what makes it so easy to make healthy, homemade, fuss-free meals so much more accessible for the time poor. Just think how much time you save not having to chop and griddle all the veg first.

Ingredients

• 150g chorizo, sliced
• a drizzle of olive oil (optional)
• 4 small frozen chicken breasts, defrosted
• 500g frozen grilled
• Mediterranean vegetables
• 1 tbsp frozen chopped garlic (or 2 fresh cloves, finely chopped)
• 1 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 200g orzo pasta
• a few black olives (optional)
• 400ml hot chicken stock
• a handful of basil leaves, shredded, plus extra leaves to serve
• 20g Parmesan cheese, grated
• sea salt and ground black pepper
• salad leaves, to serve (optional)

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium–high heat and add the chorizo. Cook until browned, then remove with a slotted spoon, leaving the oil in the pan. If the chorizo hasn’t let out much oil, add a drizzle to the pan to stop the chicken sticking. Add the chicken breasts to the pan and cook for a few minutes on each side until they have plenty of colour all over (they don’t need to be cooked through yet) and remove from the pan with a slotted spoon.

Add the veg to the pan along with the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes until heated through and browning, then return the chicken and chorizo to the pan, along with the tomatoes. Let them heat through for a couple of minutes. Tip the chicken and vegetable mix into a large baking dish and add the orzo, olives (if using) and hot stock. 

Sprinkle over the chopped basil, season with salt and pepper and mix until everything is well combined. Cover with foil and transfer the dish to the oven. Bake for 25 minutes. Once the 25 minutes is up, the orzo should be cooked and the sauce thickened. Sprinkle the top of the bake with the Parmesan and return to the oven for a final 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle with a few more basil leaves and serve with some green leaves on the side, if you like.

Notes

Freezer adaptation: The bags of mixed frozen Mediterranean veg are generally quite heavy on the peppers, so if you just have a bag of plain sliced frozen peppers, these will work too. Will it re-freeze? Yes, and this works well for a quick freezer dinner with all your required veg included – although a bag of fresh salad leaves wouldn’t go amiss. Simply allow to defrost naturally, then reheat in the microwave or back in the oven.

From Foolproof Freezer by Rebecca Woods (£12.99, Quadrille) out now

Libby says: Paella is perfect for a crowd and looks wonderful with its vibrant colours and seafood. This version uses orzo instead of traditional paella rice, which is a small pasta that soaks up all the tomato sauce and juices. If using clams here, soak them for 20 minutes in cold water before adding them to the orzo.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 60g chorizo, diced
• 3 tbsp tomato purée
• 250ml white wine
• pinch of saffron
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 500ml chicken stock
• 350g orzo
• 200g either mussels or clams (or a mixture), scrubbed and debearded
• 12 shell-on prawns
• 180g squid, cut into rings and tentacles kept whole
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 15g flat-leaf parsley and dill, chopped

Method

In a large, wide, lidded frying pan (skillet) set over a medium heat, pour in the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and a pinch of salt and fry off for 5 minutes until it is soft and translucent. 

Add the garlic and chorizo and fry for a further 2 minutes until the chorizo starts to crisp up. Next add the tomato pur e and stir it through, followed by the wine, saffron, smoked paprika and chicken stock (bouillon). Bring the liquid up to the boil and then add the orzo. 

Let the orzo cook for 6 minutes, until nearly cooked, then add the mussels or clams. Place the lid on the pan and let them steam for 3 minutes. After this time, they should be open, and the insides cooked (discard any that have not opened). 

Now add the prawns and squid and let them bubble in the paella for 1–2 minutes. Squeeze over the lemon juice and garnish with the fresh herbs. Bring the whole, impressive-looking pan to the table and serve up.

From Foolproof Fish by Libby Silbermann (£23.99, Quadrille) out now