Lemon Orzo Salad with Asparagus and Tomatoes

 Lemon Orzo Salad with Asparagus and Tomatoes

As you can probably tell by now, when summer arrives, tomatoes make their way into my dishes fairly often. I haven't been the biggest fan of cherry tomatoes in the past, but in this dish, it worked for me. In fact, up until two years ago, I didn't even eat tomatoes! How it went down is like this:

I happened to be sitting in a small Italian town at a train station by myself, and I was really hungry. There was a small cafe inside the very small airport, and the options were slim. I spotted a mozzarella and tomato baguette sandwich, and decided this was my best option. I walked outside and sat down on a bench to dig in. At first, I started to pick out the tomatoes and was feeding the birds at my feet, but when I noticed a local staring at me, I felt ashamed. Here I am, in Italy, rejecting the most basic snack for them.

A caprese, whether it be in a sandwich or a salad, is so simply satisfying to me now. How I could have hated tomatoes my whole life up until this pivotal moment is beyond me. But I'm so glad that local glared at me the way she did, because if it weren't for her, I could still be listening to my ten year old taste buds, whispering faintly into my ear, "You don't like tomatoes".

Ingredients:

12 oz orzo
1 bunch fresh asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 lemon, zested and juiced
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, minced
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Directions:

1.  Bring 2 large pots of water to boil. Add a pinch of salt in each.

2. To one pot, add asparagus and blanch, about 2 to 3 minutes, or until the asparagus starts getting bright green. Place blanched asparagus in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and keep them green.

3. To the second pot, add the orzo. Cook per package instructions (mine was 6-8 minutes, though it ended up being closer to 8). When tender, drain and place in a large bowl. Add blanched asparagus and tomato halves.

4. Mix olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Stir into orzo mixture, and then stir in parsley and Parmigiano.

5. This can be served warm, room temperature, or cold.

This original recipe was found on Pinterest, and you can find it here.

Dinner at my mom's last night.