Freebie Friday - Orzo (Pasta) Salad

 In honor of our Salad theme this month for the Food Challenges, we decided to share free salad recipes all month long. This week we are showcasing one of our favourite pasta salads.

Orzo, also known as Risoni "Big Rice", is a form of short-cut pasta. It looks like a large grain of rice. It works greats in soups and salads and is also sometimes used in Risottos.

This salad doesn't have much flavour but because it is pasta and vegetables that don't have strong tastes so much, you have to be very careful when adding the "dressing".

What you'll need:

1 Box of Orzo (450g)

1 Bag of Sugar Snap Peas (8 oz)

1 Can of Water Chestnuts (Slices or whole)

1 Bundle of Green Onions

1/4 Cup of Soya Sauce (we use HP)

1/4 Cup of Garlic Hoisin Sauce (again we use HP)

To start you will want to set two pots of water to boil (one large, one small). Adding salt and oil to the pasta water. Once both have come to a boil, add the pasta to the larger pot (with the salt and oil) and the Sugar Snap Peas in the small pot. Make sure to keep your eye on the peas, you do not need to cook them long, you want them to still have some crunch.

Once the Orzo and the Sugar Snap Peas are cooked you will strain them (rinsing both with cold water). Place the Orzo into a large mixing bowl and bring the peas to a cutting board. (The peas may need to be peeled, even though you are chopping them. You will notice if a string is left behind when you cut, remove it).

Roughly chop the peas, and green onions, keeping in mind you want them bite-sized or smaller. You want to have the same mindset with the Water Chestnut. If you are using whole Water Chestnuts you will want to slice them and then quarter them, if you are doing sliced Water Chestnuts you can quarter them if you find them too large - we recommend this. Add all your chopped vegetables into the bowl with the Orzo and mix well.

The trickiest part of this salad is dressing it. We recommend starting with 1/4 cup of both Garlic Hoisin Sauce and Soya Sauce and then taste. The flavours will be strong but they will settle as the salad cools (keep that in mind), if you find it too sweet, that means there is too much Hoisin Sauce if you find it too bitter that means there is too much Soya Sauce for your taste. Adjust the measurements accordingly. This also depends on the type of Soya Sauce and Hoisin Sauce you use.

This salad serves cold, keep in mind that will cause the sauces to gather at the bottom so mix well again before serving.