Orzo With Cherry Tomatoes, Zucchini and Queso Fresco
By: The Duo Dishes
Published: Monday, December 14, 2009 - 9:24pm

Ingredients




1 pound orzo
2 zucchini, halved and sliced
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup white mushrooms, chopped
6 ounces large black olives, pitted and chopped
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
4 ounces queso fresco, crumbled
Olive oil
Kosher salt

Preparation

1 Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain and set aside. 2 Swirl a bit of olive oil in a wide pan.  When hot, add garlic, zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and olives. Toss well.  Cook until softened, approximately 5-7 minutes. 3 Add orzo to pan, along with lemon juice. Fold everything together to combine. 4 Stir in cheese and salt to taste.

About


Orzo’s Italian, olives, lemon and dill are distinctly marked by Greek tradition, and queso fresco is one of the most popular cheese you’ll find in Mexican food.  What happens when you mix them all together?  You get a meal in less than 30 minutes from start to finish.  Oh, and it’s some sort of Grexicantalian fusion dish too.  There are too many odd ways we could’ve combined those three cultures into one word, but that would’ve taken away from time devoted to eating the final product.  No confusion here, kids.  The queso fresco did a bang up job in place of the feta or goat cheese you’d typically find in a similar dish.  It is not a super melty cheese, but if you serve this hot, it will start to seep into the nooks and crannies of each bite.  You will be pleased.