Marinated Vegetables with Orzo

Recipe by guest author, Heather Forsyth.

This time of year, it's harder and harder to find fresh local produce, but that doesn't mean you have to give up on vegetables, or that your only option is mashed potatoes.  Orzo is a quick-cooking pasta that takes to a lot of different flavors (see Hot Cheesy Orzo on this site).  With the addition of jarred artichoke hearts and other tasties, you can make a wintertime pasta salad that's colorful and tasty.  Do chose the nicest brand of marinated artichoke hearts you can find, preferably with olive oil, as you'll use the marinade as the base for dressing the orzo.  Saffron can be pricey, but a little bit goes a long way and it adds a great sweet-smokey flavor and lovely golden color.  If you don't have saffron, you could substitute Spanish paprika.

Marinated Vegetables with Orzo

• 1 1/2 c. orzo, dry measure, cooked and drained
  
• 12 oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts
  
• 1 roasted red bell pepper (jarred or roast your own), cut in 1" squares
  
• 1/2 cup pitted green olives, halved
  
• 1/2 c. capers, drained
  
• zest of 1 lemon
  
• 1/4 t. saffron
  
• a little olive oil and lemon juice, depending on the marinade
  
• salt and pepper, to taste
  
• 2 T. toasted pine nuts (optional)

Cook the orzo according to the package directions, usually 8-10 minutes in boiling salted water, then drain.  Combine with remaining ingredients.  The orzo will absorb a lot of the marinade, so if it seems to dry, add some extra olive oil and some fresh lemon juice.  You can serve this straight away, at room temperature, or cold; in fact, I think it's best at room temperature.  If you use the pine nuts, wait to sprinkle them on right before serving.  This dish gets even better the longer it sits, so it's good the next day, too.