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Greek Style Orzo Salad with Kale – The Perfect Potluck Contribution

Summer has always been my favorite season, for many of the obvious reasons.  But as a lover of food, what I appreciate the most about this time of year is how frequently the opportunity arises to share meals with friends and family.  It seems as though someone is always extending an invitation for a barbecue or a potluck, and I am always trying to come up with recipes that I can contribute that feed a whole crowd and are easy and affordable to prepare.

I love this orzo dish for many reasons.  One thing I like is that it is not a dish that is sensitive to being left out in the heat for several hours, so it makes a great addition to a picnic.  The dish takes about twenty minutes to prepare and will cost you at most fifteen dollars and feed 12-15 people as a side dish easily.  The Mediterranean flavors accompany just about anything you could possibly throw on the grill, it’s low in fat and high in nutrition, and I have yet to meet someone who doesn’t like it.

The list of ingredients below uses mostly Greek flavors, and can be modified to accommodate any other vegetables you particularly like or happen to have on hand, such as asparagus or artichoke hearts.  In this pasta I have substituted the traditional use of spinach for heartier kale.  I love to use kale with pasta because it can be chopped and sauteed briefly and will hold its shape and texture much better than spinach, which tends to soften dramatically and release a lot of water.

Next time someone asks you to bring a salad to a summer dinner, try this one out.  It also works great on its own as a main course lunch serving.  Here is the way I have prepared it…

Ingredients

• 1 box of dried orzo pasta
• 1 bunch of kale, washed and roughly chopped
• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic, mined
• 1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 4 scallions, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup of pine nuts, toasted
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup of good quality feta cheese
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon good balsamic vinegar
• Salt and black or red pepper to taste

Follow the instructions on the orzo box to prepare the pasta al dente.  While the water is coming to a boil, heat a medium-sized skillet with one tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the sliced onion and cook until it begins to caramelize, about six minutes.  Add the kale and two of the three minced cloves of garlic.  Saute until the kale softens and the onions are fully caramelized, about four or five more minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook until they are just heated through, another minute or so.

When the pasta is cooked to al dente, drain the water and put the orzo in a large bowl.  Add the sauteed kale and onions, the chopped scallions, the pine nuts, parsley, and feta cheese.  Stir well to incorporate all of the ingredients.  Dress the pasta salad with the rest of the olive oil and the balsamic vinegar.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Toss well and serve warm or cold.

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