Dish of the Week: Garden Orzo Salad with Herb Dressing

In light of the unseasonably warm summer like weather I took the boys to my parents house for a family cookout. We did Shish Kabobs on the grill and for the side dish I found this weeks recipe, Garden Orzo Salad with Herb Dressing. It's from a show called Rescue Chef with Danny Boome and the premise is he assists someone with a cooking problem. This show was about a girl who was looking for an inexpensive way to entertain a large group of people!

Ingredients:
For the herb dressing:
2 lemons, zested and juiced
2 oranges, zested and juiced
1 cup cider vinegar
2 cups fresh parsley leaves
2 cups fresh basil leaves
2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:
4 cups orzo
Salt, for water
5 ears corn, kernels removed
5 stalks celery, diced
1 cucumber, seeded and diced
2 pints cherry tomatoes

Directions:

In a food processor add lemon zest and juice, orange zest and juice, cider vinegar, parsley, basil. Turn on the processor and slowly add the olive oil until the mixture is blended together. Process until smooth and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.

Cook orzo in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To a large mixing bowl add the raw corn kernels, diced celery, seeded and diced cucumber and whole cherry tomatoes.

Once orzo is cooked, drain and rinse under cold water; drain well. Add cooled orzo to bowl and toss. Add dressing to salad and toss again. Season with salt and pepper, if needed. Serve.

The Verdict:
This is the perfect dish for a potluck cookout - with some minor modifications I will definitely make this dish again. Most of us thought it was really good rating from 3-4.5 starts. Those who didn't like it (like my sister who gave it a ZERO), thought it tasted too much like a pine tree.

First off, it wasn't as cold as it probably should have been. This would be a great make ahead dish that you would serve later in the day or even the next day. My dad's criticism was that he would omit the celery as he didn't like the crunch. I agree that it didn't really fit well with the other ingredients. Krystal (who gave it the highest rating of 4.5) loved that it was tangy with a slight sweetness to it. She took the leftovers home with her! I on the other hand agreed with Kim and Jesse who said it that they liked it but that it was a little heavy on the basil. Next time I make this I most likely use about 1 1/2 cups of basil and parsley.

Next time the weather spikes over 85 degrees give this one a try!