Hi everyone and welcome back to another Quick Bite from Nikoli's Kitchen! In this episode, I talk about making an orzo salad inspired by a dinner that Rebecca and I ate at one of her friend's houses while we were in Virginia. I decided to add a balsamic reduction over mine when I served it, and it turned out so incredible! Please try out the recipe and let me know what you think. Thank you for listening!!


 


Featured Recipe for this Episode


1 lb orzo
1-1/2 c cucumbers, diced
1-1/2 c tomatoes, diced
1-1/2 c fresh mozzarella, diced
1 c fresh basil
6 cloves of garlic, minced
Zest of 2 lemons
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
1 c balsamic vinegar
2 T brown sugar



Make your balsamic reduction ahead of time- add vinegar and brown sugar to a small saucepan and reduce over mid-low heat. You want to reduce this down to about 1/4 c total liquid. As you reduce you'll notice a change where it goes from boiling to bubbling and "foaming" up. Once you reach this stage, remove from the heat and allow to cool, then refrigerate. Balsamic reduction makes a great drizzle for all sorts of fresh fruits, veggies, pastas, or anything else!


Add orzo and a drizzle of olive oil (about 2 T) to a large stock pot and turn on heat to mid-high.
Toss the orzo and let it toast until lightly browned, then remove it to a large bowl.
Add water to the stockpot and salt it. Bring it to a boil and add your orzo, cooking it until it is tender.
Strain the orzo and rinse with cold water. Allow it to drain completely.
Add your veggies, garlic, basil, and cheese to a large bowl with the lemon juice and zest. When you're prepping these, the cuts should be uniform so all of the elements are the same size.
Add your orzo to the bowl and toss together, mixing until it is well-combined.
Add salt & pepper to taste and refrigerate.


When serving, spoon out a portion and give it a light drizzle of the balsamic reduction.


 


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Guest Appearances


Please check out my segment of Heather's podcast at https://justheathers.com/nicholas-haskins/. Thank you so much for having me on the show Heather!


Watch me cook Keto Chocolate Chaffles LIVE with Tricia & Siana of 2 Girls on a Bench at https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1039494727!


I was honored to sit down with Ashlee of the Rabbit Ears TV Podcast again to talk about all things Big Little Lies! Check it out at https://www.netflixnswill.com/rabbitears/2021/8/31/big-little-lies.


 


Credits


"Daybreak," and "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!


"Parting of the Ways - Part 02" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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