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Friday, March 23, 2012

Orzo Salad


Have I ever mentioned my pure hatred of peas? Who would think that a small, green, mushy vegetable could cause such venom in my heart but they do. I think of them and shudder. My mother in law actually shares my point of view and swears that they must taste totally different to her than to other people because no one would like them if they really tasted like that. My kids had actually never seen peas in our house since they NEVER make an appearance in any meal I serve. My oldest daughter is 7 without ever having been subjected to having peas. Lucky girl.

My church had a function celebrating Esther and with it, some of us brought Jewish dishes. I had signed up for an orzo salad. I didn't actually see the recipe but salads are easy enough so I thought I would be safe. Then I saw the ingredients. And guess what was included? Peas, my mortal enemy! I actually had to buy peas and support their existence.

Other than the dreaded ingredient, the salad was really easy and came together really quickly which is how I like it. I even tried it, making sure no peas were included in my bite. I really liked it. And then, I even became adventurous at the actual event and tried it with the peas. And it still tasted good. Now, I didn't become a lover of peas that night, it was just that their flavor was really masked. Who would of thought that anything that included peas would not only be edible, but actually be good?

Orzo Salad
found on EasyJewishRecipes.com

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked orzo (1 1/2 cups dry pasta)
1 c frozen and thawed green peas
1/2 c black olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
3/4c feta cheese, crumbled (the recipe says optional but hello, it is feta, totally needed in my humble opinion)
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley, dill or your favorite herb (I used parsley)
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp vinegar (balsamic, red wine, your choice)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced (or 1/4 tsp garlic powder)
If desired, sprinkle 1/4 tsp dried Greek oregano over top of salad

Instructions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and cool.

Mix cooled pasta with all ingredients. The recipe didn't say to refrigerate before but I did for about and hour.


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