Toasted orzo risotto with wagyu beef and marinated artichoke hearts

I was feeling adventuresome this afternoon after a morning paying stray bills and I decided to make my first orzo risotto.

As usual, I took what I considered the best of three or four different recipes and made it up as I went along.

I took my heavy skillet, heated up some avo oil and cooked a nice packet of ground wagyu beef I had bought at Grocery Outlet.

 Seasoned to taste.

I removed it to a bowl after it was sufficiently cooked.

I then toasted panko and crunched up croutons and toasted them in the same pan. 

I put them in a bowl and added a heaping helping of lemon zest and then stirred it all up for my topping. Put that bowl aside.

I pulled out my Le Creuset Dutch oven (or French oven as Kent correctly calls it) and added olive oil and garlic as well as red pepper flakes and cooked them down for a couple minutes. 

Added a little onion powder. 

When that was cooked I added a cup and a half of orzo and toasted it for about four minutes over medium heat.

You want them to get to various shades of golden brown.

I added two cups of chicken broth and then stirred the pasta continuously for about ten minutes. 

When it was nice and getting creamy I added back the beef, marinated artichoke hearts that I had quartered, a healthy dose of shaved parmesan and fresh chopped parsley. 

I gave it a nice stir, adjusted my seasoning and added the crunchy topping and a squeeze of lemon.

I was going to put sun dried tomatoes in but couldn't find them in our overstuffed fridge. 

No big.

I think dinner was a success. 

Some versions call for hot Italian sausage instead of the beef, I am sure that would be excellent too.

My wife came home from an evening putting campaign signs out after work. The table was set and she sat down to a nice meal that she really enjoyed! Onward and forward!