Orzo, Melon & Feta Salad with Spicy Chicken

Orzo is a pasta that looks a little like rice. Its perfect for salads and also works particularly well in minestrone and is yet another pasta that I have only tried recently for the first time! The Bloke and I were in a café on a hot day and they were serving an orzo salad with raisins and roasted vegetables and we absolutely loved it. So I bought some the other week and decided to give it a go the other day.

This recipe is all about the salad - it is served here with a spicy chicken of which you can use any marinade you like. I have used my own chipotle sauce as a marinade (recipe here) and simply baked it in the oven for 25 minutes. But to me - this is all about the orzo salad with pine nuts, raw courgette and creamy feta cheese. Simple and delicious, you can serve the salad as a side with any meat. Or just enjoy by itself.

Ingredients:

120g orzo
1 courgette, chopped
1/2 cantaloupe melon, peeled and chopped
25g basil, leaves torn
50g feta cheese
30g pine nuts
2 tbsp. olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp. runny honey

Method:

Cook the orzo to packet instructions (takes about 10 minutes to boil) drain and refresh under a cold tap. Drain again and put into a large bowl. Add the courgette, melon, basil and pine nuts and crumble in the feta cheese.

Whisk together the oil, honey and lemon juice, season with salt & pepper and pour over the salad. Stir well to combine and serve as a dish by itself, or with a meat of choice. Simple and delicious.