Warm Orzo Salad With Mint And Feta Recipes

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the orzo and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, about 7 minutes.
• While the pasta is cooking, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and garlic, and saute until the shallots begin to soften and the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook just to warm through, about 1 minute.
• Add the warm tomato mixture to a large bowl along with the feta, arugula, mint, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Drain the orzo and add it to the bowl. Drizzle with the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil. Toss well and serve.

Steps:

• Prepare shrimp:
• Mince garlic and in a bowl whisk together with lemon juice, oil, oregano, pepper, and salt to taste. Shell shrimp and devein, if desired, and add to marinade, stirring to coat well. Marinate shrimp, covered and chilled, 1 hour. Prepare grill. Soak skewers in warm water 30 minutes.
• While grill is heating, fill a 6-quart kettle three fourths full with salted water and bring to a boil for orzo. Trim sugar snap peas. Chop tomatoes and thinly slice white and pale green parts of scallions. Finely chop parsley.
• Make dressing:
• Chop garlic and in a blender blend with remaining dressing ingredients until dressing is emulsified.
• Stir orzo into boiling water and cook until al dente. Add snap peas and cook 15 seconds. Drain pasta and peas and transfer to a large bowl. Cool pasta 5 minutes and stir in feta, tomatoes, scallions, and parsley. Add dressing to salad and toss well. Season salad with salt and pepper.
• Thread shrimp onto skewers, discarding marinade. Grill shrimp on an oiled rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals until just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes on each side. (Alternatively, grill shrimp in a hot lightly oiled well-seasoned ridged grill pan over moderately high heat.) Push shrimp off skewers into salad and toss gently.

Steps:

• Cook orzo in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until tender, then drain well in a colander.
• Whisk together lemon juice, oil, and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl, then add hot orzo and toss. Cool orzo, then toss with pine nuts, feta, and scallion greens. Season with salt and pepper.