My cousin and her lovely companion came to dinner last night. Our household is filled with fans of both of them. Jointly I would say they have only one fault: one of them (I’m not saying who) is a vegan.
We had some grilled eggplant salad, red pepper salad, and dolmas from a Turkish resturant I went to for lunch. Then I grilled some vegetables and made a lemon-herb-pistachio orzo salad. It was hot and sunny in San Francisco. We were in sandals and shorts and summer dresses. We sipped white wine and Ernie ran around in the garden and it felt like summer. Summer doesn’t happen frequently or predictably around here. We have to grab it when we see it.
Lemon Herb Orzo Salad: Boil a 1 lb. box of orzo in plenty of very salty water (if vegans aren’t involved, use chicken broth for extra yumminess). While pasta cooks, zest 2 lemons and juice 4. Combine zest and juice with 2 cloves minced garlic in a large bowl. Add drained, hot orzo and toss to combine thoroughly. Let sit, tossing occasionally, until cool. When ready to serve, taste orzo and add more lemon juice if it doesn’t taste really lemony. Toss in 1/2 cup finely chopped mint, 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro and dill (why mint, cilantro, and dill? because that’s what I had in the fridge–try whatever herbs you have in the house), a handful or two of chopped pistachios (why pistachios? same reason as the herbs–almonds or pine nuts would have been good too), and enough oil to coat the whole thing. (I used some fabulous pine nut oil someone gave me and it was delicate and flavorful and I highly recommend it. I’m sure your favorite olive oil will be great too.) The non-vegans at the table topped their servings with some crumbled feta cheese, but honestly, the orzo really didn’t need it.
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