Recipes • Grilled Caponata • Orzo Salad

In 2008, Ken participated at the 12th Annual Kendall-Jackson Tomato Festival with his own booth. The featured item was an Orzo Salad.  Light and refreshing; just the right thing for a hot afternoon. Lots of goodies in this one, but feel free to add your own touches. Can be made completely vegetarian by not using the chicken stock to cook the orzo.

The recipe can be downloaded as an Adobe PDF file by clicking on this link to the Orzo Salad.

Orzo Salad

4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups orzo
1 (15-ounce) can each garbanzo beans and dark kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups heirloom tomatoes, chopped
3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
3/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
About 3/4 cup Red Wine Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pour the broth into a large, heavy saucepan. Cover the pan and bring the broth to a boil over high heat. Stir in the orzo. Cover partially and cook until the orzo is tender, but still firm to the bite, stirring frequently; about 7 minutes. Drain the orzo through a strainer. Transfer the orzo to a large, wide bowl and toss until the orzo cools slightly. Set aside to cool completely.

Toss the orzo with the beans, tomatoes, onion, basil, mint, and enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad, to taste, with salt and pepper, and serve at room temperature.

Red Wine Vinaigrette

1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a blender. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with more salt and pepper, if desired.

Enjoy!