So, two days before Memorial Day, we finished watching Season 10 of Top Chef. After a crazy semester of school, getting our house ship shape to put on the market, and training for a half marathon, I felt my mojo for cooking had waned. I slapped together meals just so I could put much needed calories in my face. But after watching that show, it made want to really cook. I scoured food blogs and came up with an actual menu for our annual Memorial Day shindig. I had apps, I had sides, I had sliders, I had two desserts (okay, one of them was Bluth bananas, but that counts!).I spent the whole day before, thankfully a cool rainy one, in the kitchen, cooking up a storm. Nothing was Tom Colichhio Top Chef material, but I thought this one dish was a standout, and made it again today. Its a great twist on a pasta salad and would be welcome at any summer BBQ.
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Zest of 1 orange
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 lb. orzo pasta
- 3 oranges
- 1 grapefruit (optional if you can't find good sweet grapefruit)
- 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
- ¼ cup chopped fresh mint leaves
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1. Mix the zest of one orange with the olive oil. Let sit.
- 2. In a large pot, heat the vegetable broth and 4 cups water until boiling. Add the orzo and cook until tender, 7-10 minutes.
- 3. Drain the pasta and run under cold water to cool.
- 4. Peel the 3 oranges and the grapefruit. Try to remove as much of the pith as you can from the outside.
- 5. Over a large bowl (to catch all the juice), cut the fruit into bite-sized segments.
- 6. Add the onion, mint, basil, salt, pepper, orzo, and olive oil/zest mix to the bowl. Stir until all the ingredients are fully incorporated.
- I've found this salad to really build in flavor if left in the fridge overnight.
I want this in my face!!!!