Antipasti orzo salad

Serve this antipasti orzo salad as a main course or on a party table – it’s a great crowd pleaser and fridge clearer. The dressing is made from the oil from the jarred vegetables, and you can use any you like – it doesn’t matter if you only have a few artichokes, or more sun-dried tomatoes.

Ingredients

• 300g/10½oz orzo pasta
• 120g/4¼oz sun-dried tomatoes
• 100g/3½oz artichokes
• 80g/2¾oz jarred roasted peppers
• 100g/3½oz olives, pitted, or 80g/2¾oz pitted olives
• 2 tbsp capers, drained
• 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 100g/3½oz Parmesan (or similar vegetarian hard cheese), coarsely grated
• extra virgin olive oil (optional)
• salt
• 1 bunch parsley, finely chopped

Method for Antipasti orzo salad

1. Cook the orzo in salted boiling water according to the packet instructions. You don’t want al dente pasta for this dish: it should be thoroughly cooked, with no firm core. If necessary, cook for a minute or two more.

2. Meanwhile, chop the sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes and peppers into roughly 1cm/½in pieces and add to a large serving bowl.

3. Roughly chop the olives and capers and add to the bowl, along with the chickpeas and Parmesan.

4. Add 4 tablespoons of oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes or artichokes. If you don’t have enough, use some extra virgin olive oil.

5. Drain the orzo into a sieve and refresh under cold running water, then shake off the excess water. (If not serving immediately, cool the orzo completely.)

6. Add the pasta to the serving bowl and stir to combine, adding a little more oil if you like.

7. Just before serving, stir through the parsley.

Antipasti orzo salad