Orzo Salad With Vegetables and Herbs
By: Eliza Adam
Published: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 - 9:10pm

Ingredients




Salad:

Salt

6 ounces to 8  sugar snap peas, trimmed, cut into ¾-inch pieces
2 2/3 cups (about 21 ounces) orzo
1 1/4 cups diced tomatoes
3/4 cup diced peeled cucumber
1/2 cup chopped green onions including 2 inches of green stem
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
Dressing:

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 head Boston lettuce--optional

Preparation

1 To make the salad:  Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Add sugar snap peas; cook 1 minute, then transfer peas to a strainer with a slotted spoon.  Rinse with cold water and drain.  Add orzo to the same pot.  Boil until tender but still firm to bite; about 8 minutes.  Drain and cool. 2 In a large nonreactive bowl, mix together orzo, sugar snap peas, tomatoes, cucumber, green onions, parsley, mint, and lemon zest. 3 To make the dressing:  Combine lemon juice, lemon zest, and garlic in a medium bowl.  Gradually whisk in olive oil.  Add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. 4 Pour enough dressing over the salad to coat well.  You may have a little dressing left over.  Season salad with salt and pepper, if needed.  (The salad can be made 1 hour ahead.  Do not let it sit longer, or the peas and onions will start to lose their bright color.  Cover salad and refrigerate.  Bring to room temperature before serving.) 5 To serve, line shallow serving bowl with lettuce leaves, if you desire.  Mound salad in bowl.

About


This is a good salad to make to accompany grilled meat or chicken, I made this along with my Honey Citrus Chicken.  The orzo pasta goes well with a medley of vegetables, sugar snap peas, tomatoes, cucumbers, and green onions; the mint and parsley add a herbal tone to the salad.  I love the combination of the texture and the color in it too.