{"id":407,"date":"2015-12-30T16:32:59","date_gmt":"2015-12-30T16:32:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.venividiedi.net\/?p=407"},"modified":"2016-04-21T16:30:09","modified_gmt":"2016-04-21T16:30:09","slug":"greek-orzo-salad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.venividiedi.net\/?p=407","title":{"rendered":"Greek Orzo Salad"},"content":{"rendered":"

I make this dish from memory back when I was in Athens at some little hole-in-the-wall restaurant. I do variations of the dressing every now and then, depending on the olive oil and balsamic vinegar I have in my pantry, but the main ingredients are pretty much the same.<\/p>\n

\"Cook<\/a>
Cook orzo according to package directions. Smallest bag is about 12 oz; that is too much for this recipe, it will only need 1 cup. I cook the whole package because I will use the left-over orzo for lemon chicken orzo soup.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Like I said, this is a personalized recipe. I have very precious memory space in my head so I really keep things simple. All solid ingredients are 1 cup in amount. How’s that??? So to the \u00a01 cup of orzo, add the following:<\/p>\n

\"1<\/a>
1 cup of Kalamata Olives, I cup grape tomatoes and 1 cup cherry tomatoes, unsliced.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For the dressing I use 1\/4 cup of balsamic vinegar and 1\/4 cup olive oil. I am a big fan of buying different flavored vinegars and olive oils. Every time I travel I always hunt for unique flavors. Its unbelievable how the industry has come up with so many varieties. In one of my future projects, I will chronicle my pantry. I have collected quite a few interesting condiments. But first, I have to clean it up. My pantry is a holy mess.<\/p>\n

\"I<\/a>
I got these two from Sonoma, CA. Basil Parmesan Olive OIl and Golden Fig Balsamic Vinegar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Olive Press<\/a>\u00a0is an awesome company who also makes Jacuzzi wine, and yes, also the same people who invented the jacuzzi. I signed up for membership (I am a sucker for this; each time I do a tasting and it offers shipping for members, I sign away). They deliver different interesting varieties each quarter. You can check out their website and order from there too.<\/p>\n

Mix all the aforementioned ingredients in a bowl then top with feta cheese to complete the Greek motif. When I first had this salad, it included chopped red onions and chickpeas. I am not a fan of uncooked onions and I remember fishing out the chickpeas from that salad, so obviously, the two didn’t make the cut in my personal recipe. Feel free to add those, if up to your taste.<\/p>\n

\"Did<\/a>
Did I mention how pretty this salad looks too?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I make this dish from memory back when I was in Athens at some little hole-in-the-wall restaurant. I do variations of the dressing every now and then, depending on the olive oil and balsamic vinegar I have in my pantry, but the main ingredients are pretty much the same. Like I said, this is a … Continue reading Greek Orzo Salad<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-stuff-i-cook"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p71dzN-6z","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":423,"url":"https:\/\/www.venividiedi.net\/?p=423","url_meta":{"origin":407,"position":0},"title":"Food, Fireworks, Fifty, Fantastic","author":"certifiedfoodie","date":"December 31, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Dave is turning 50. When he got his present a month ago, he was so overjoyed, he said that as soon as his actual birthday comes, we will just chill and drive around his gift with the top down. That was sweet of him but I can't imagine not preparing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fredericksburg"","block_context":{"text":"Fredericksburg","link":"https:\/\/www.venividiedi.net\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"This is amaretto cake with Italian cream filling topped with chocolate ganache. I added sparklers and a little Porsche 911 Turbo, his bday car.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.venividiedi.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/image-166-300x225.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":810,"url":"https:\/\/www.venividiedi.net\/?p=810","url_meta":{"origin":407,"position":1},"title":"Nice Moules","author":"certifiedfoodie","date":"May 10, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Several days ago I posted my dinner experience at The Nest Restaurant for Mother's Day. 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As i read the recipe, it validated one of Internet's solid truths---anyone can post anything online and and call it the best of whatever. 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My old recipe consisted of stuffing big button mushrooms with Panko mixed with Parmesan cheese. Life was so simple then.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Stuff I Cook"","block_context":{"text":"Stuff I Cook","link":"https:\/\/www.venividiedi.net\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"Note how they seem to be crowding the pan. 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