Yeah, it’s hot. Too hot to turn on the oven. Too hot to do much more than lie down in a dark room and wait for the air conditioning to kick in. But still, we must eat, and there are only so many salads one can down before rebelling against their leafy virtue. On nights like this, when I don’t really feel like cooking but I still want a healthy dinner, I make simple, simple foods. This is one of my favorites—it’s literally three steps, and it works with almost any mix of fresh herbs. In the summer I usually have Italian parsley, basil, and mint on hand, so that’s what went into it tonight. I’m serving it with pesto-flavored chicken sausage and the quick sauté of zucchini, almonds, and pecorino I wrote about recently. What a lovely mix of flavors, all fresh and herbal! And the whole thing’s ready in under half an hour, without heating up the kitchen too too much.
One-Two-Three Herbed Orzo
Serves 2-3
½ lb. orzo
1/3 cup herbs of your choice (I used Italian parsley, basil, and mint)
1 T. olive oil
Freshly ground pepper
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook orzo as directed on package. While it’s cooking, chop the herbs medium-fine. Drain orzo and toss with chopped herbs, oil, and pepper.