orzo pasta salad

i've always been confused by orzo. it looks like rice but it tastes like pasta, because well, it IS pasta. i guess it's really not that confusing after all. orzo is a bit sneaky though. you have to be very careful when cooking it -- as it can go from al dente to mush in about a minute. i try so hard to find the happy medium, so that pasta has a bite but not a chew. it's tricky bizness i tell you.

i believe this pasta salad recipe is heavily influenced by giada (is it me or are her tops just getting more and more low cut?) in fact i may have seen an episode of one of her many shows and absorbed it fully because it sounded so delicious. either way it's SO simple, made of fresh, light ingredients and will certainly merry with whatever you're grilling this summer. or even eaten on its own at 3a.m. directly from the family-sized container after you feed your baby. just saying, being an all-you-can-eat buffet makes you hungry.

Recipe: Orzo Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
one box orzo, cooked and cooled
1 large box fresh organic arugula
1 6oz log goat cheese, i used an herb variety, room temperature
1 lemon, zest and juice
3 tsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp white wine
2 garlic cloves, grated
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper





Method:
make vinaigrette: in a small bowl: zest and juice lemon, grate in garlic, add mustard, white wine, salt and pepper -- mix in olive oil
Cook orzo according to directions, cool completely
mix cooked orzo, arugula and crumble goat cheese -- dress with vinaigrette
mix all ingredients thoroughly and let merry in fridge for a few hours before serving
add vinegar