Orzo Salad

What Goes With It

• Grilled lamb
• Grilled chicken
• Crisp white wine

How to Cook Orzo Salad

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1. Cook the orzo in a large pan of boiling salted water for 8 to 9 minutes, until just tender. Drain, rinse under cold running water and drain well.

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2. Tip the orzo into a large bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil so that the grains stay separate.

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3. Whisk the remaining olive oil with the lemon juice, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl or jug.

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4. Add the cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, olives, dill and parsley to the orzo, pour over the dressing and toss well.

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5. Fold in the feta gently so that it does not break up, then taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

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Worth Knowing Before You Cook

Drain the orzo very well after rinsing. Water left in the pasta dilutes the dressing and makes the salad taste flat.

Salt the dressing lightly. The feta and olives are both salty, so you can taste again after the cheese has gone in.

Add the feta last and fold it in gently. Stirred hard, it crumbles into a paste and turns the salad cloudy.

If You're Missing Something

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.
• Fresh herbs work in place of the dried oregano at roughly three times the quantity — a teaspoon of dried is about a tablespoon of fresh, chopped.

Storing and Reheating

Keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days. The orzo absorbs the dressing, so stir in a spoonful of olive oil and lemon juice before serving. Does not freeze well.

Questions and Answers

Orzo Salad Nutrition Facts

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.