Corn and Zucchini Orzo Salad
When summer turns to fall and the leaves start to change color that’s when we start to see some of my favorite summer vegetables. I know all I’ve been talking about are peaches and plums, but there are also a couple vegetables that I look forward to when August and September come around: corn and zucchini.
I’ve been eating corn since I was a kid. It’s one of the few vegetables my mom knew I’d devour whenever she served it. I’d eat it grilled, roasted or steamed. I even ate it raw. Then there was zucchini. I absolutely hated zucchini. I don’t know if it was the texture or the flavor, but for some reason, whenever my mother served zucchini, I immediately turned my nose up and pushed it to the side. Then somewhere along the way, I started to like zucchini. I don’t know when or how it happened, all I know is now I love zucchini just as much as I love corn. Okay, maybe not just as much, but close. Like the corn, I eat it roasted or grilled. And yes, I even eat it raw. But grilled is still my first choice.
Grilling the vegetables not only gives them pretty grill marks, it also brings out a natural sweetness that you won’t find otherwise. And if you use an actual grill as opposed to a grill pan you get a nice smoky flavor as well. I tend to use the grill pan though, because it makes the cooking process much easier, and with a busy household, easy is always a must.
While these two vegetables are great as a simple side all on their own, I like to add them to things, most often a salad. The corn gives a nice, sweet crunch and the zucchini gives a wonderful earthy flavor not to mention the extra burst of vitamins A & C, which help with vision. Normally my salads are full of tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and a mustard vinagrette. But I also enjoy a nice cold pasta salad. They’re not only delicious, they’re way more filling and they usually serve a big group. For this salad from Food & Wine I used orzo. It’s easy to make and it’s a lighter pasta, so it’s still filling without being heavy.
Orzo is a great option when you want to make a pasta salad but don’t want to use the heavier tortellini or rotini pastas. As a matter of fact, it’s the pasta I use whenever I need to make something for a potluck or party. A party I might have this weekend for example to celebrate the end of summer. Actually that’s not a bad idea. It would be the perfect pasta salad to serve, not to mention a great way to show off all that delicious summer corn and zucchini.
Ingredients
- 2 ears of corn, shucked
- 1 pound small zucchini, halved
- 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
- salt and lemon pepper to taste
- 1/2 pound orzo
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon shallot, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon hatch chili powder
- 2 ounces herbed goat cheese
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat a grill or grill pan to 300 degrees F. Drizzle the corn and zucchini with a couple tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until charred and crisp-tender, about 10 minutes for the zucchini and 15 minutes for the corn. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool. Cut the kernels off the cobs, chop up the zucchini and transfer to a large bowl.
- While the vegetables are grilling, cook the orzo in a large saucepan of salted, boiling water until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool. Drain again and let dry.
- Whisk the mayonnaise together with the remaining olive oil, lime juice, shallot and chili powder in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add the orzo, corn, zucchini, goat cheese and basil and mix well. Transfer to a platter and serve.
