One of our favorite hot weather salads
is Greek Orzo Salad.
There are many ways to make this salad,
but this is my favorite.
As with any of my recipes,
amounts are approximate,
as I pretty much "wing it"
while I am cooking.
Greek Orzo Salad
What you need:
1 bag Orzo dried pasta
1/2 cup course chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped cucumbers
1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
8 oz. feta cheese
(I prefer goat feta but all work just fine)
8 oz. pitted Kalamata olives
fresh basil
Extra virgin olive oil
balsamic or red wine vinegar
(yes I have read the health warnings but balsamic is my favorite!)
salt
pepper
dill seasoning
What you do:
Prepare the orzo as directed on the package.
Chop your veggies. I do not peal the veggies.
Quarter the olives.
Chop the feta.
cut your basil into skinny ribbons.
Drain your orzo and put in a large bowl.
Dump all your veggies into the hot orzo.
Dump the olives and feta into the orzo.
Now, you can make up your dressing ahead of time
OR
just pour all the ingredients over the pasta.
I usually just pour the olive oil, vinegar,
salt, pepper, and dill directly onto the salad.
I do not measure these ingredients.
But it is usually around 3 tablespoons olive oil,
and then I am very generous with the vinegar.
I just play with it and go for the taste that suits
me on any given day.
Sometimes I pour fresh lemon juice over it,
and sometimes I add chopped fresh garlic.
You can eat it warm
or chill it and eat it cold.
It is even better the next day!
Enjoy!
