I think my favorite ingredient so far this year is watercress. Aside from being off the wall good for you, I love how it looks.
A peeve of mine is giant salad leaves, so I'm crushing on the little things like microgreens and baby greens. I also think they have much more flavor than fully grown leaves.
This salad is a complete loosey goosey recipe. What I mean is, you'll never kill it if you add a little more or less of any of the ingredients.
Nobody likes a salad drenched in dressing though, so add it by the teaspoon and toss it with your own hands (as opposed to someone else's?) I always like to use my hands whenever I can while I'm cooking, especially in baking.
I think the end result is always better and it just feels right. Am I wrong in thinking touch and taste are much more important senses to have than sight?
Maybe I'll try making a recipe blindfolded as an experiment some day and see what happens.
What about the orzo? It is pasta, and not rice. It makes for a great filler so you can add it to soups and stews, and it cooks fast.
For this salad I recommend rinsing the orzo once you drain it and drizzle with some olive oil. This will wash of the starch that makes your pasta stick together once it cools.
Usually you'd want to keep that starch because it helps your pasta sauce stick to the pasta. But for a salad, we don't want sticky pasta.
Serve this family style, drizzling more balsamic dressing over it once you place it on the platter, and keep an eye out for those baby greens!
You can probably buy chicken breast already grilled at your local delicatessen, or grill your own and let it cool before slicing.
It's best to cook the orzo ahead of time so that it's properly cooled.
After draining it, rinse it with cold water and drizzle a little olive oil over it to prevent it sticking. Store in the fridge.
Don't worry if you add more to this salad than the recipe states, it's very forgiving and great for family style dinners.
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