Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Orzo, Opa! and Ouzo...

Do those three things go go together?  They do in this recipe although you'll have to find a use for the ouzo.  You might be able to use a dash of it if you don't have enough basil because the two are flavored similarly, but make sure you are at home with people who love and respect you, because I cannot be held responsible for what you do after consuming ouzo.  Or you could have some ouzo as a beverage on the side to commemorate the distinct Greek overtones in this dish.  Is Ouzo a Greek spirit?  You bet your fisherman's cap it is!  The island of Lezvos (or Mytilini) is well known for it's Ouzo with claims of the best in Greece.

Anyone who has had a Greek relative, friend or lover knows that food is foremost and drinking a close second in the Greek culture.  My first boyfriend was Greek and his mom ALWAYS had food either cooking in the kitchen or covering the dining room table.  She was very glamorous and beautiful, not the type of Greek mama that usually comes to mind and certainly not the type you'd think would be cooking all the time.  She was more the Fendi bag-buying, Gucci sunglass-wearing type.  I can still hear her voice, though, which belied that glamorous woman and was definitely more robust Greek mama-with- Apron.  She did try to ply me with food at all times a la "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and I loved it.  The dining room table was filled with pastries mostly, nuts and dried fruits.  Cookies with pine nuts, baklava and some crazy wheat and honey things that looked like my hair in the morning (or after too much Ouzo).  Ouzo has never been my thing and I'm not crazy about licorice, but I like fennel, fennel bulb, basil and some things flavored with it, save for those horrid Stella Dora sticks.  My brother used to scarf those things up!

I digress.  Be careful with ouzo.  It's 40 percent alcohol, about 80 proof, and it hits hard.  The only time I can remember seeing my mom a bit tipsy as a kid was after the Hellenic festival.  OPA!  I can hear her yelling with delight.  The next morning you would have thought we had tortured her with hammers all night.  She would have gladly sent us to live with Heidi's grandfather in the Alps if she could have. I wondered what in the world was wrong with her, what horrible thing had happened between last night and this morning for her to be so grumpy and filled with such disdain for everything earthly.  It was the Ouzo hangover.  Vicious,  as I found out much later in life.  Not something to play with lightly and there should be a warning on the bottle.  Something like, "If you're not Greek consider finding something else to drink." Or: "Warning, this product will give you a hangover no matter how macho you think you are". Or: "Only to be consumed in the company of people you already hate".  Because you WILL hate them the next day and blame them for your misery!

The reason for all of this oozing over ouzo?  I was looking for a little alliteration this morning and with my Orzo pasta salad that is Greek-inspired, I couldn't help myself.  So following is a light and lively salad, perfect for a summer's eve.  It's a recipe from Cooking "Lite" magazine (don't need any pesky copyright lawyers hassling me) and is probably the one that I used when I first made this.  Now I tweak it based on the green stuff I have handy.  Spinach would be good in this as would a little broccolini or even asparagus. For even less cooking, use cucumber.  Orzo is fun to eat, but be careful because the fact that it is small will make you consume more than intended.  If feta is not your thing, use some crumbled chevre, parmesan, or fresh mozzarella. But then you don't have a very Greeky salad anymore and you'll have to put down that bottle of  ouzo.  OPA!!!!


Whip up this easy orzo salad for a light and healthy side dishalternative to potato salad.
Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 3/4 cup)

Ingredients

  • 1  cup  uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
  • 1 1/3  cups  diced zucchini (cooked or raw)
  • 1/3  cup  diced red onion
  • 1/3  cup  minced fresh parsley
  • 3  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
  • 1  tablespoon  minced fresh or 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1  tablespoon  olive oil
  • 2  teaspoons  minced fresh mint
  • 1/2  teaspoon  salt
  • 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
  • 1  cup  diced tomato
  • 1/3  cup  (1 1/2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
  • 2  tablespoons  chopped pitted kalamata olives

Preparation

Cook orzo according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well. Combine orzo, zucchini, and onion in a large bowl; toss well. Combine parsley and next 6 ingredients (parsley through pepper); stir well with a whisk. Stir into orzo mixture; add tomato, cheese, and olives, tossing gently to coat.

Nutritional Information

Calories:
199 (22% from fat)
Fat:
4.8g (sat 1.5g,mono 2.3g,poly 0.6g)
Protein:
6.7g
Carbohydrate:
32.7g
Fiber:
1.8g
Cholesterol:
6mg
Iron:
2.1mg
Sodium:
307mg
Calcium:
58mg

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