Charred Vegetable Orzo Salad

Mediterranean · Summer · 40 min · Serves 6 · By Eleanor March

Orzo sits somewhere between rice and pasta, which makes it ideal for a salad that holds its shape on a warm afternoon. Char the vegetables hard so they carry a little smoke into the bowl. Dressed while still warm, the pasta drinks up the lemon and oil.

Ingredients

• 300g orzo
• 1 zucchini, sliced into rounds
• 1 red bell pepper, quartered
• 1 small aubergine, cut into wedges
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 100g feta, crumbled
• A handful of fresh mint, torn
• Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Method

1. Cook the orzo in well-salted boiling water until just tender, then drain and rinse briefly to stop the cooking.
2. Toss the zucchini, pepper, and aubergine with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a good pinch of salt.
3. Char the vegetables on a hot grill pan until well marked and tender, then chop into bite-size pieces.
4. Whisk the remaining olive oil with the lemon zest and juice and season to taste.
5. Fold the warm orzo with the vegetables and dressing. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then scatter over the feta and mint just before serving.