Curried Apple Orzo Salad
By: Jenny Richards
Published: Thursday, December 10, 2009 - 5:47pm

Ingredients




1 cup peanut oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Pinch cayenne

1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 cups uncooked orzo
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup toasted almond slivers
3/4 cup diced purple onions
4 inches apples, chopped  cubes

Preparation

1 In a large bowl, combine the ingredients for the dressing (in any order): peanut oil, lemon juice, salt, curry powder, white wine vinegar, sugar, coriander, tumeric, freshly ground pepper, cayenne, and parsley. 2 Whisk to combine and set aside. 3 Cook the orzo until al dente. 4 Drain the pasta and immediately add it to the dressing. 5 Toss in the purple onions and stir to combine. 6 Set aside to cool 10 - 15 minutes and then add the remaining ingredients.

About


This recipe originally comes from Cafe Annie in Houston, TX. 
 - Use different varieties of apples (like sweet and tart) or apples with different colored skins. Leave the skins on.
 - The almond slivers should be well toasted, but not burned. Avoid almond slices because they fall apart in the salad and the skin adds a little bitterness.
 - Use the highest quality peanut oil you can find. Taste matters in this recipe.
 - Pick through the golden raisins the remove the duds.
 - I use a deluxe curry powder from Muchie's. It's a pretty all-purpose curry powder and doesn't have any heat - but has a good bit of flavor. Indian curry, sort of sweet.
 - If you have access to coriander seeds, toast and grind them rather than using ground coriander. The taste is much fresher.