Mediterranean Orzo Salad
So I guess I should start by saying hello! Welcome to my first ever blog post! As I'm still new to the world of food blogging, I'm kind of rusty when it comes to photography and recipe making. I'm hoping that with time, I'll eventually develop these skills which I can use for other purposes (maybe a cookbook?). One thing I want to get out of this blog is to inspire others, especially students and other busy individuals alike, to get in the kitchen and start getting creative with what they have on hand, instead of constantly going out to feed their stomachs (which let's be honest, I'm guilty of this majorly). Don't get me wrong, eating out is an experience and is wonderful especially with family and/or friends. But imagine hosting a get-together at your place, and showing your mates or relatives some bangin' dishes which you can proudly say was your own creation! Yeah, you'll receive brownie points, I can promise you that.
Now let's cut to the chase here: Whatever I post does not have to be replicated to the T. These recipes should be seen as a starting point for your creative minds to get brainstorming some amazing recipes you can dish up yourself. Of course there will be the occasional "You need to use this ingredient", or "there are no substitutes for this particular dish". But most of the time, there will be alternatives which can be used to cook some of the recipes that will be posted on this blog.One example is this Mediterranean orzo salad. I have been obsessed with this dish because of how easy and quick it is to make, so it's perfect for food prepping and can be stored in the fridge for about five days max. The best thing about these sorts of recipes is that you can pretty much add whatever ingredients you have in your fridge and pantry, so it saves you from having to go out and buying anything from the supermarket. I just so happen to always have these ingredients lying around in the kitchen, so decided to make up a dish that incorporates flavours that are proven to work well together.
Orzo is a type of pasta that is shaped like rice, but slightly larger looking. It is sometimes referred to as risoni, and is served best in soups. My parents always made us a soup called avgolemono, a well known Greek dish containing egg and lemon (maybe I could post a recipe in the future?). It doesn't take as long as spaghetti pasta to cook in boiling water, and really absorbs the flavours that are added to it, which is why this recipe is great!
Mediterranean Orzo Salad
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves: 2-3
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients:
1 cup orzo pasta, dry
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
Half a medium sized red onion, diced
1/2 cup kalamata olives, halved
1 medium sized Lebanese cucumber, chopped
For the dressing:
100ml olive oil
lemon juice from one half of a medium sized lemon
1 tsp oregano
1 clove of garlic, minced or 1 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Grab a medium saucepan, filling it with enough water to cook the pasta. Place on stove top on medium-high heat and add 1 tsp of salt. Leave until it starts to boil, in which you then then add your orzo pasta and stir continuously to avoid it sticking to the pot. It should take around 6 minutes for the pasta to cook.
In a small dish, add together the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, oregano and salt and pepper. Set aside to allow the flavours to infuse together. This will be the dressing for the pasta.
Once the orzo is cooked, remove from the pot with a strainer and place into a large bowl. Leave to cool for a few minutes.
Once the orzo has slightly cooled, add the dressing you prepared earlier. Stir in well until all the pasta has been coated in it. You can then add the tomatoes, cucumber, onion and olives to the pasta and stir until well combined. Serve as a side dish or enjoy it alone as a main meal.