Zucchini and Orzo Salad with Chimichurri

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 cup Italian parsley, packed
• 1/2 cup cilantro, packed
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup uncooked orzo
• 1 medium zucchini
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes

Directions

1. Make the chimichurri first. Rinse the parsley and cilantro thoroughly, then shake away as much moisture as you can. Strip the leaves from the stems and put them in a food processor with the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, cumin, red pepper, and salt. Pulse until the sauce is smooth. If you are skipping the food processor, chop the parsley, cilantro, and garlic very finely with a knife, then mix them with the rest of the chimichurri ingredients.
2. Cook the orzo as directed on the package. Drain it in a colander, then set it aside to cool.
3. Cut the zucchini crosswise into 1/4 inch rounds. You can use the zucchini raw, grill it, or roast it before adding it to the salad. For grilling, cook the slices on a countertop grill, then cut them into quarter rounds afterward. For roasting, toss the zucchini with a little oil plus a pinch of salt and pepper, then cook it at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. Set the zucchini aside until it has cooled a bit.
4. As the pasta and zucchini cool, halve the grape tomatoes. When the orzo and zucchini are warm but no longer steaming, add them to a bowl with the tomatoes. Spoon about half of the chimichurri over everything and toss until coated. Add additional chimichurri as you like, up to about 3/4 of the batch. Taste the salad and season with more salt or pepper if it needs it.