Friday, September 4, 2009

Mediterranean Orzo Salad

A couple of months ago my sister (I miss you and can’t wait to see you!!!) emailed me a recipe that she had had at a dinner party.  She went on and on about this salad.  Saying it was her new favorite salad and how I HAD to make it right then.  Well, me being me, a couple of months passed and I finally got around to making it.  Guess what?  It was good!  Really, really good!

I did have to change it around and add some different things to it but essentially it is the same.

I will be making this one again and again!!!

P1010847

Mediterranean Orzo Salad adapted from the July 09 print issue of House & Home (my changes in italics)

Ingredients:

1 lb. orzo pasta
1 small zucchini, cubed ( I threw it in the pasta water to cook in the last 2 minutes of cooking the orzo)
1/2 of a red pepper, chopped
1 cup black olives, pick your favorite, coarsely chopped
8 oil-packed sundried tomatoes, finely chopped 
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (I used about 1/4 cup more for flavor)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (you could use white)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
5 oz. goat cheese, crumbled (I used feta because that’s what I had)
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

Directions:

1. Cook orzo in a large pot of boiling salted water for about 7 minutes or until just tender.  Drain and rinse with cold water until completely cooled.  Drain again.

2. Combine lives, sundried tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar, slat and pepper in a large bowl.  Add cooked orzo and stir well.  Stir in goat cheese and basil just before serving.

As Always…

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

16 comments:

Jamie said...

Yum! I love this kind of salad and yours looks really delicious! And orzo is such fun!

Janet @Gourmet Traveller88 said...

I also made Orzo recenly with spinach but as a warm dish, a little like risotto, my family likes it a lot too. Your salad is great for summer days indeed.

Thistlemoon said...

This is really similar to an orzo dish that I made back in June (I think...) and I brought it to a potluck and it was a HUGE hit! There is just something so yummy about orzo! I think I will have to make this one soon too!

Chez US said...

Judy this sounds perfect, I love the combination of flavors!

Bob said...

Sounds awesome, I need to get my hands on some orzo wicked bad.

Cathy - wheresmydamnanswer said...

Yum Yum Yum.. Pretty much sums it up!! What a perfect combination cannot wait to try this!! Happy Friday!

lisaiscooking said...

Sounds like a great mix of ingredients. Love the goat cheese!

Patsyk said...

I love salads like this... they also lend themselves to ingredient changes really well.

Pam said...

Oh that looks good! Beautiful colors!

Danni said...

I've decided that you and I -in some crazy, remote state sort of way- are kindred spirits. I get busy, don't visit for a while and -then- I pop back over and LOVE LOVE LOVE the recipe you've posted. We have very similar tastes in food. I wish you would cook for me every day. :-) :-) :-)

RecipeGirl said...

My absolute favorite! Looks wonderful :)

MikeGras said...

Best salad ever.. Feeding 8 all the women want the recipe. Sending them to you.

Velva said...

Great orzo recipe! Thanks for sharing.

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

This is my kind of salad Judy with all those Mediterranean flavours...perfect for summer:D

Miss Meat and Potatoes said...

I love orzo. I've made it with feta before but nothing beats goat cheese. This looks so good!

Heather said...

This would be great with grilled and cubed halumi... which seems to be my new weakness...