Summer Chicken and Orzo

I thought my first blog post should be about one of the first recipes I ever decided to make when I first started cooking.  I got it from The Black Dog Cook Book and have evolved it (minorly) over the past few times I have made it.  In the cook book it is under the "vegetable" category but I have turned it into a main dish by adding protein, shredded chicken.  The nice thing about this dish is it can be served cold or hot and is delicious both ways.  Last night we ate it hot for dinner, but today I ate it cold as a side with a sandwich.  The balsamic vinegar and olive oil help prevent it from clumping up when it gets cold like plain orzo tends to do.  I love this dish because it tastes so fresh and refreshing.  The tomatoes and spinach give a back garden feel while the lemon zest and flat leaf parsley keep the flavors crisp.  Adding the toasted pinenuts on top give it the perfect crunch.  This dish is always enjoyed by the people I have made it for...a fantastic summer deck dinner!

Ingredients:

· 2 Tbsp olive oil (You will need one Tbsp to toast the pine nuts and the other for the dressing.)

· 1/3 Cup pinenuts (They are expensive but I think a necessity for this dish...They are also great on salads, balsamic asparagus, etc.)

· 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

· 1 Clove minced garlic (I prefer the garlic from the jar.  All the taste, no work, and you don't have to worry about it going bad like you do with fresh)

· 1/2 Cup stemmed spinach leaves, coarsely chopped

· 1/4 Cup flat leafed (Italian) parsley, coarsely chopped 

· 1 Cup tomatoes, seeded and chopped (Squeezing out the seeds makes the tomatoes more "meaty")

· 1 Tbsp grated lemon zest (I slice the lemon up after and put it in a Tupperware to use for drinks in the future.)

· 5-6 Oz of feta, crumbled

· 1/2 of a rotisserie chicken (pull bite sized pieces off)

· 1/4 tsp salt

· a little more than 1 cup of orzo

· salt and pepper to taste

Recipe:

Heat 1 Tbsp of the olive oil in a saute pan until hot.  Add pinenuts, saute and lightly salt.  Mark sure you are moving the pan frequently to make sure they are lightly browned evenly (2-3  min).

When done, place them on a plate with a paper towel to drain.

In a medium sized bowl whisk the other 1 Tbsp of olive oil with the balsamic vinegar, and minced garlic.  Add the spinach. parsley, tomatoes, lemon zest and feta.  Toss together gently.

My boyfriend thought this part alone looked good enough to eat.  It smells so flavorful!

Boil water, add salt and orzo.  Cook for 12 minutes.

While orzo is cooking, pull the chicken from the bone and add it to the tomato mixture.

Drain the orzo and add it immediately to the tomato mixture.  Toss lightly.  I always keep the pinenuts on the side so people can add the amount they want and so they don't get soggy.

Bon Appétit!  We had the orzo with a glass of white wine and for dessert had store bought cookies 'n cream brownies from Publix. MMmmmm.

Do you have a favorite summer deck meal?