Rice it seems, pasta is. Although for the Italians orzo means in the vast majority of cases barley, it is also the name given to this short wheat pasta whose shape is precisely reminiscent of barley or rice. You can also find it as puntalettepine nuts -although the shape varies slightly- or kritharaki in Greek cuisine.
The orzo It is one of those ingredients that quickly gets you out of trouble since it cooks very quickly and adapts to different preparations: you can cook it like any other pasta with a sauce or some vegetables, you can use it as rice and make a Risotto, incorporate it into a soup or, as in this case, make a salad. If you are going to use it for this last purpose, it is important that you cook the orzo al dente, drain it very well and quickly mix it with the rest of the ingredients. It is a type of pasta that is overcooked and clumps very easily, so it is better to spend a minute of attention so that the result is good.
For this particular salad I used tomatoes –taking advantage of the fact that they are red, sweet and juicy at this time of year–, mozzarella, olives, capers and lentils; although it could be any other cooked legume, to turn it into a single dish. To finish, a dressing of fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil and hazelnuts, to which you can also add a little lemon zest to give it an extra freshness. Although I haven’t tried it yet, I suspect that with an almond gremolata it would also be great.
Difficulty
Cook the orzo al dente.
Ingredients
for 4 people
- 250g orzo
- 2 tomatoes
- 100 g of black olives
- 2 teaspoons of capers
- 1 mozzarella (ball) of 200 g
- 300 g of lentils or other cooked vegetables
- 20 fresh basil leaves
- A handful of hazelnuts or any other dried fruit
- 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Preparation
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In a blender glass, crush the basil – reserving some leaves to decorate – with the hazelnuts or the chosen nuts, the extra virgin olive oil and salt. Reserve.
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Wash and cut the tomatoes into bite-size pieces and place them in a bowl. Also add the cubed mozzarella, lentils, black olives and capers.
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Cook the orzo in plenty of boiling salted water for the time indicated by the manufacturer. Strain, go through cold water and drain very well. Add to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients and mix.
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Add the basil dressing, mix and adjust the salt level if necessary. Serve with the remaining basil leaves and a little pepper.
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