Orzo is a durum wheat pasta but looks like large grains of rice. It really lends itself to salads. I always cook pasta al dente, but for this dish it’s particularly important not to overcook the pasta or it will be mushy.

This dish is a great accompaniment to BBQ food and we particularly like it served with lamb and halloumi kebabs. Some of the marinade in the below recipe is for the salad and the rest is to pour over the lamb pieces for the kebabs. If you don’t fancy the lamb, the marinade keeps well in the fridge for quite a while.   

Ingredients for orzo salad

(serves four)

• 300g of orzo
• 80ml of extra virgin olive oil
• 65ml of red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons of chopped fresh oregano
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• A pinch of dried crushed chillies  
• Ground black pepper
• 4 whole spring onions, sliced thinly
• Chopped fresh mint to taste
• 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice to taste
• Salt

Method

• Bring a saucepan of well-salted water to boil and cook the orzo according to the packet instructions.

• Drain and rinse immediately with cold water and put in a bowl.

• In a small container (with lid) combine the olive oil, vinegar, oregano, garlic, crushed chillies, 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper (to taste). Put the lid on and give a good shake.

• Add 80ml of the mixture to the orzo and give a thorough mix (pour the rest over the meat and halloumi to marinade if you’re making kebabs).

• Mix the spring onions, mint, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pinch of pepper into the orzo. Check the seasoning and lemon juice and add more if required.

The mint in the salad works particularly well with the lamb but can be omitted. Similarly the rest of the ingredients can be altered to taste.

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