Greek Orzo Salad

Γεια σας, φίλοι!

Well, now that BBQ Season is almost here I thought that a great and highly addictive Greek salad would be a good addition to this little blog.

Orzo is actually rice-shaped pasta and can easily be mistaken as long-grain rice. Orzo is actually Italian and means "barley" but I my guess is that it merely refers to its shape. Either way, it's good stuff.

This salad is extremely easy to make. Little preparation is needed but the outcome is delicious. 

Here's what we need for about 6 servings:

2 cups Orzo pasta
1 Cucumber, peeled & de-seeded
2 Bell peppers, red & green, diced
1 cup of Kalamata or Black olives
1 cup of Cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup of Roma Tomatoes, fleshed & seeded
1/2 cup Sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 cup Feta cheese
8oz of marinated artichokes
a handful of Cilantro

Garlic, Sea salt, Black pepper, combined with Red wine vinegar and some Agave nectar (Honey is great, too) makes a good dressing. Add some Oregano and you're set.

Alright, let's get to it. Begin by removing the stem of the tomatoes, quarter them, remove the watery flesh and seeds and dice them up. Same goes for the cucumbers. We don't want a soggy salad. De-seed and cut out the stem from the bell peppers, remove those white "ribs" and dive them. Then chop up the cilantro. Drain the excess liquid from the olives, sun-dried tomatoes and artichokes and cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Place everything in a large bowl.

Now cook the Orzo pasta according to directions or until a little over al dente, about 10 minutes. Pour into a strainer, rinse with cold water and let it drain from excess water. 

Once that's done add the pasta to the bowl, add the feta cheese and gently fold everything together with a spatula.

The salad tastes best when it spends a little time in the fridge so all the flavors can come together. It's a good idea to make it ahead of time.

And that's it. very easy but very delicious. 

Enjoy!