Orzo with Grilled Vegetables
INGREDIENTS:
= 1 lb. of Orzo (1 box)
= 1 young eggplant – cut crosswise into slices ½ inch
= 1 sweet red pepper – cleaned and cut lengthwise into wide stripes
= 1 yellow zucchini – cut into thick rings
= 1 green zucchini – cut into thick rings
= 1 large red onion – quartered
= 8-10 sweet small tomatoes yellow and red – whole
= ¾ cup olive oil
= 2 teaspoons dry dill weed
= 4 cloves of garlic – very finely chopped
= 2 garlic heads – cut off ½ inch from the tops
= ½ cup pitted Kalamata olives
= ½ cup Castelvetrano pitted green olives
= 1 teaspoon of fresh Cilantro – roughly chopped
= 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
COOKING:
1. Cook orzo following the instructions on the packaging box: pour 4 quarts of water in a large pot, add a pinch of salt and bring it to the boil, then add orzo. Bring it to the boil again, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 9 minutes. Once orzo is ready drain it in the colander.
Put well-drained orzo in a mixing bowl, add a table spoon of olive oil, and stir to avoid sticking together.
2. I grill vegetables on a cast-iron grill on the top of the gas stove. Oil the grill.
Slice eggplant crosswise, sprinkle with a lot of salt and let stand. In 15-20 minutes remove access of juice and salt from the eggplant with paper towel.
In a bowl, stir together ¾ cup olive oil, dill weed, chopped garlic, salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Drizzle each of the trimmed garlic heads with garlic oil and seal them tightly in a piece of foil. Place the garlic on the edges of the grill where the heat is not so high and grill until garlic is softened. If necessary, open the foil and turn the garlic up side down to cook it through – all together about 12-15 minutes.
Before grilling, place vegetables in garlic oil and rub well. Place oiled vegetables on the grill and, working in batches if necessary, grill them on both sides until grill marks appear – about 7 minutes total.
Place all olives in the garlic oil and mix well.
Place cooked orzo on a serving plate and arrange grilled vegetables around orzo. Garnish with chopped Cilantro. Serve with the olives.