Orzo with zucchini, lemon, mint, and feta

1. Cook orzo to al dente in a large pot of boiling salted water (salty like the sea). Careful not to overcook, or the pasta will be mushy in the salad. Drain in a colander.

2. Dice onion and zucchini. (For zucchini cut both ends off and slice in half lengthwise. Cut each half again lengthwise into half or thirds, depending on zucchini size. Cut long zucchini sticks into 1/2- inch pieces.)

3. Mince garlic or use garlic press. Add garlic to diced onion and zucchini.

4. Zest the lemon using a fine grater or vegetable peeler, mincing any large pieces. Set aside.

5. Cut mint into fine slivers. Set aside with lemon zest.

6. Heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Depending in the size of your skillet, you may need to cook vegetables in two batches. Add onion, zucchini and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft and starting to brown. We’re trying to mimic grilled vegetables on the stovetop here, so a bit of extra cooking is nice to get some caramelization from the onions. Season well with salt and pepper.

7. Place drained orzo into a large bowl. Top with cooked vegetables (scrape the pan for all the good juices), lemon zest and mint. Drizzle with olive oil (3-4 tablespoons) and juice from the zested 10/31/2014 Orzo with zucchini, lemon, mint and feta | chinese grandma http://chinesegrandma.com/recipes/orzo-zucchini-lemon-mint-feta/ 2/7 lemon. Mix gently. Add feta and mix one final time.

8. Top with additional feta or mint as desired. Serve warm or room temperature. Serves six as a side dish or three as a main course.