Recipe for orzo salad with green beans, tomatoes, and olives
Serves 8
The rice-shaped pasta orzo pairs well with crisp green beans in a salad.
Tomatoes bring their juicy freshness, olives add a briny taste, and basil, mint, and marjoram make the other ingredients pop. Substitute whatever herbs you grow or find at the farm stand; use enough so you really taste them in the dish. If you like, add some whole herb leaves to the salad.
½pound slender green beans, trimmed and halved on a diagonalSalt and pepper, to taste16ounces orzo ¼cup olive oil3red or yellow tomatoes, cut into thin slivers (with their juices) 1cup pitted Nicoise or Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped¼large sweet onion, cut into fine strips¼cup chopped fresh basil, or more to taste¼cup chopped fresh mint, or more to taste¼cup chopped fresh marjoram, or more to taste
1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the green beans for 2 minutes or until they are bright green and still a little crunchy. Use tongs to transfer them to a bowl of cold water.
2. Return the water to a boil. Add salt and the orzo and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 9 minutes or until it is tender but still has some bite. Drain in a colander. Transfer to a serving bowl.
3. Pour the oil over the orzo and toss well. Set aside to cool.
4. Drain the beans and pat them dry with paper towels.
5. Add the beans, tomatoes, olives, onion, basil, mint, marjoram, salt, and pepper to the orzo. Toss well. Lisa Zwirn
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