Asparagus & Broccoli Orzo Salad

Not having access to the Internet is a lot more difficult than I thought (well, at least when you’re not on vacation).  Last week was my first at my new job.  After rewriting my name, filling in all the special numbers, having my picture taken, and signing my name about 30 times- I am now allowed to have computer access!  Success!  I felt very out of touch with the world up until today.  Unless someone left a paper copy of an article, or was talking about a specific topic, I had no idea what was going on in the world (yes, that includes the Prince William-Kate wedding gossip).  So for all of those that have had busy days, this is a perfect salad- either to eat during your lunch hour, or enjoy when you get home and don’t have time to do much.

It’s asparagus season!  Last week I saw it for the first time at our Farmer’s Market, so it’s time to get cooking with it.  This is a great spring recipe- light, flavorful and fast.  Although I had made it for friends (when I made this dessert), we had plenty of leftovers for the two of us.  We don’t tend to buy alfalfa sprouts often, just because if you don’t use them fast enough they’ll get all soggy, but this was definitely a fantastic edition to this salad.

Asparagus & Broccoli Orzo Salad
Inspired from: 101 Cookbooks

1 cup orzo pasta, uncooked
1 lb asparagus; washed, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 head of broccoli, cut into small florets
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsp salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups alfalfa sprouts
1 cucumber, quartered and cut into small pieces
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup feta, crumbled

Bring a large pot to a boil, add 1 tbsp of salt.  Once the water is boiling, add the orzo and cook per package instructions.

This next step can be done in 2 ways:

1) About 30 seconds before the orzo is finished cooking, stir in the asparagus and broccoli.  Cook for 30 seconds, then drain and run cold water over the 3 ingredients.

OR

2) Once the orzo is cooked, drain it and run cold water of the pasta.  Then boil another pot of water, add the asparagus and broccoli for about 1/2-1 minute.  Then drain and run cold water over the vegetables.

In a small bowl whisk together the dressing: lemon juice, olive oil and 2 tbsp of salt.

Add the orzo, asparagus and broccoli to a large bowl.  Then toss those ingredients with the dressing.  Finally, add the alfalfa sprouts, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and feta.  Toss once more for all of the ingredients to mix well.

Barley Salad with Veggies

Rain was predicted for today, and thunder.  Instead, it’s hot outside here in DC!  Summer is just around the corner, yay!  We’ll enjoy it for today- outdoors!

Every month 2 of my friends and I meet up at each other’s places and make dinner.  We switch off between our homes and the themes for the dinners, and the person who hosts also does the cooking.  Others bring the wine/beer.  Every month I really look forward to my time with A* and C* just because we always end up having fabulous conversations, and have tons of fun.  =)  Last night I hosted, and we had an array of wonderful food (if I do say so myself), which I will write about later in future posts.  But for now, I’ll give you some hints: dinner rolls, a Nutella bar, orzo salad and vegetable soup with parsley crisps.

Although, wonderful company makes food taste even better!

Barley Salad with Veggies
Adapted from: Cooking Light

1 cup uncooked pearl barley
3 cups arugula, lightly chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 large roasted red bell pepper, chopped
1 15oz chickpeas, rinsed and drained
juice of 1 lemon
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 cup pistachios

Cook barley according to package directions.

Once the barley is cooked, combine: barley, arugula, red bell pepper, roasted red bell pepper and chickpeas in a large bowl.  In a smaller bowl mix: lemon juice, oil, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper and stir.  Sprinkle the top of the salad with pistachios.

Blueberry-Rhubarb Crumble

Another favorite that Sam makes.  Fortunately, Whole Foods carries frozen rhubarb, so we can enjoy this year-round.  But it is the best when the rhubarb is fresh (DC area: April-July).

I absolutely love pie, but it is often too sweet for my tastes.  I concocted this recipe several years ago as an alternative to the traditional, oogy-sweet Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie.  It incorporates the tartness of rhubarb, with the sweetness of brown sugar and blueberries.  The Rose Water
subtly enhances the flavor of the berries and the lemon juice adds a refreshing crispness.

It’s a lot of fun watching people try to figure out what exactly is in this pie- so deceiving!

Sam’s Blueberry-Rhubarb Crumble

2 1/2 cups flour
2 sticks of salted butter, cold
10 oz frozen rhubarb (or 4-5 chopped stalks of fresh)
10 oz frozen blueberries
1 tsp Rose Water
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/4 cup ice-cold water
1 pie tin or pie dish

Filling

Combine rhubarb, blueberries, Rose Water, lemon juice, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup flour, and 1/4 tsp cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.  Mix well and set aside at room temperature to macerate for about 30 minutes.

Dough

Add 2 cups of flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and a pinch of salt to your food processor and pulse until well mixed.  Next, add in 2 sticks of very cold, diced butter.  Pulse, and add in 1 1/4 cup of ice water a little at a time, until the mixture is crumbly.  You do not want a ball of dough.

Once you have the right consistency, take out the contents out onto a floured cutting board.  Take half of the mixture, roll it into a ball, wrap with Saran Wrap and put into the fridge for about 30 minutes.  Take the other half of the crumble mix and gently add to a bowl, cover with Saran Wrap and put in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Once the dough is cold, take out the half you rolled into a ball and covered with Saran Wrap.  Roll out on a well-floured cutting board until it’s about 1/8 of an inch thick.  Drape over the greased pie tin or pie dish.  Gently form into a the mold, and cut away any excess from the edge.

Add the blueberry-rhubarb filling into the pie, and spread evenly.  Make sure not to add too much of the excess liquid (no one likes a soupy pie!).  Top the pie with the remaining crumbly dough (the one in the bowl), I aim for about 90% coverage.

Put the pie on a cookie sheet (in case of spillage), and slide into a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 45-50 minutes, or until the topping is golden and bubbly.