I came up with this pasta salad one day on the drive home from work. I was tasked with preparing a dish for a potluck dinner, and I was looking for a pasta dish that was just a bit different from my usual takes on rotini and sauce. Also, I think I had a bunch of orzo pasta in the pantry just waiting to be used. Since orzo pasta is not a normal staple in my house, the pressure to do something creative with it was strong. The recipe makes quite a bit as you would expect for a potluck dish, but it can easily be halved or made in full amount and parceled out for lunch every day for the following week. Your choice. The name of the recipe is a Hebrew-English pun based on Psalm 97 from the Tanach. “Or Zarua LaTzadik ul’Yishrei Lev Simcha”/”Light is sown for the righteous, and for the upright of heart”. The Hebrew word “Ruach”, on the other hand, means “spirit” or “breath of life”. So, taken together the dish means, “light is sown for the righteous and for those who eat small pasta in a spirited fashion.” Maybe I ought to just stick to cooking.
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups dry orzo
- 2 cups cooked chick peas
- 1 medium-size cucumber
- 1 large tomato
- ¼ cup chopped fresh mint
- ¼ cup kalamata olives
- ¼ cup tahini
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 2 cloves pressed garlic
Cook the orzo according to package directions to al dente consistency. Do not overcook. Drain the pasta.
Coarsely chop the cucumber, tomato, and olives and mix into the orzo.
Blend together tahini, lemon juice, cumin, and garlic. Mix the dressing into the orzo.
Serves a bunch.
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