A couple of months ago my sister purged her cookbook collection and I inherited the victims. One that I picked up was “Moosewood Restaurants New Classics”. I never really skimmed it and just put onto my bookcase. The other day I was looking for easy to transport foods and decided to pull it out.
BEST.DECISION.EVER.
There were so many recipes that I marked that I want to try in the next couple of days.
Anyhoo I ended up settling on this Mediterranean Orzo Salad. I love a busy salad that’s easy to eat. Always have. And this was one of those recipes that was super easy to come together.
You cube some eggplant (I added zuchini for fun too!) and mince some garlic and roast them with a bit of salt until they’re cooked. While that’s happening cook some Orzo. And for the record, i LOVE orzo! I think it goes with soooo many things. If you want a starch that isn’t rice or potatoes… orzo! and you can dress it up and make it delicious.
The rest of the work is pretty much just chopping. You have to chop tomatoes, olives, and parsley. As well as toast pine nuts and throw in some capers. Delicious!
I was worried that the salad would be dry since there’s no dressing or herbs (besides the parsley). But no, it stays totally moist and kind of feels like there’s a dressing. It could also benefit from an extra splash of olive oil if you feel inclined. A sprinkling of oregano could work too. But really, it’s good on its own too.
The recipe says to top it with some feta or parmesan. I had parmesan so thats what I used. It was fine but I think feta would have been even better!
Overall a definite yum. Can’t wait to try the other recipes I have marked.
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Mmm….that sounds soooo good!!! *writes it down* I love Mediterranean tastes, and I’d love to have time to cook fancier dishes, but unfortunately, it seems as though I’m always on the go! That’s why I’m glad I found Bertolli’s Mediterranean Style frozen dinners; they’re delicious and quick and easy to prepare
You should check out http://www.whatsyourmedstyle.com/medstyle/demo.aspx and see Rocco DiSpirito preparing some amazing dishes! I work for Bertolli, so I can vouch 😉
would like a copy of the recipe “mediterranean orzo salad” My computer at home is on the fritz, tried writing out the recipe long hand…arthritis got the best of me…hope you can help me out!