Orzo Tabbouleh

by Karin Calloway
Tabbouleh is popular throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean, and is usually a combination of cooked bulgur, chopped parsley and green onion. In a moment of experimentation, I substituted cooked orzo pasta for the bulgur and came up with a delicious summer side salad.

Serve your Orzo Tabbouleh as an accompaniment to Mediterranean Lamb Kebabs, or on its own as a flavorful, light lunch or dinner.

1 14.5-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1 cup orzo pasta
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice, about 1 1/2 lemons
1/3 cup olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 large ripe tomatoes, cored and diced
4 green onions, finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 3.5-ounce package crumbled feta cheese

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Bring chicken broth and water to a boil in a small saucepan with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. When boiling, stir in orzo, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, olive oil and season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Set aside to cool, or cover and cool in the refrigerator.

Add remaining ingredients to the orzo, toss gently and chill until ready to serve. The salad can be made 2 to 3 hours before serving.

Makes 6 side-dish servings.

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