Orzo Salad with Peas, Radishes and Pecorino

Yes, I know I am posting back-to-back pasta dishes. The previous post was in celebration of autumn. The calendar and unusually cool weather got the best of me, and I confess I may have jumped the gun. Just as that post was published, summer returned with a vengeance, perhaps in a fiesty face-saving attempt to rectify it’s dismal display until now. The cool weather skyrocketed to triple digits and just looking at an oven made me sweat. Move aside fireside dinners, your time will come. When it’s this hot, it’s necessary to rely on cool, no-cook or nearly-no-cook recipes for light eating. And this recipe does the trick. Orzo Salad with Peas, Radishes and Pecorino is fresh and simple to prepare. Serve as a light main course or, better yet, a side dish to accompany your Labor Day barbecue.

The radish leaves may be substituted with Italian flat-leaf parsley or a combination of parsley and mint leaves. Serves 4-6 as a side dish.1/2 pound (250 grams) orzo
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
12 ounces frozen peas, defrosted, rinsed and dried
6-8 radishes, halved and thinly sliced
3 green onions, tips and ends discarded, sliced
1 shallot, minced
1/2 cup radish leaves, washed, coarsely chopped
Finely grated zest of one lemon
Juice of one half lemon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Grated pecorino cheese (mild, not too piquant) for garnish

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add orzo and cook until al dente. Drain; toss with one tablespoon olive oil. Cool to room temperature.
Add the remaining ingredients except the pecorino cheese. Toss to combine and taste for seasoning. Serve sprinkled with cheese.

If you like this, you might enjoy these recipes from TasteFood:

Kale, Bulgur and Carrot Salad

Pearl Couscous Salad

Black Bean, Corn and Red Pepper Salsa

and these other cool recipes from the foodblogs:
Wild Seaweed Salad from 101 Cookbooks
Sweet and Sour Cucumber Salad from Kalyn’s Kitchen
Quinoa Salad with Lime and Fresh Mint from Gluten-Free Recipes
Thai Pomelo Salad from RasaMalaysia