Orzo with Feta and Arugula

Summer is starting to push in. The air is heavy before eight in the morning and the kids at the daycare are wilting by two in the afternoon no matter how cold I keep the room. This is the specific tiredness of Southern June, when the heat feels personal.

I have been thinking about the daycare a lot lately. Seven years. I have been there seven years in September. That is the longest I have ever been anywhere. The longest I have stayed is seven years in a state called Alabama and that is because I never left. I went to the state at birth and I am still here and that itself is something. Some of the kids I have worked with were in my room when they were two and are now in third grade. I know their names. I know their faces. There are parents who bring new siblings to me specifically because I knew the first one. That is a form of being rooted. I am rooted here. I did not know I would become rooted here and now I cannot imagine being anywhere else.

Sunday at Gloria was okra and tomatoes, which is purely a summer thing, when the okra is fresh and the tomatoes are real. You have to cook it down until the okra stops being slimy and becomes tender and then it is something miraculous. You cannot rush it. You cannot skip the long cook. Some things require the full time.

After a long Sunday at Gloria’s with the okra and tomatoes doing their slow work on the stove, I started thinking about the other side of summer cooking — the dishes that don’t ask much of you, that come together fast in a hot kitchen when you’ve already given the day everything you had. This orzo with feta and arugula is that kind of recipe: sharp and bright and cooling, the kind of thing that feels like breathing out. It doesn’t need the long cook. It just needs the good ingredients and a little trust.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups orzo pasta
3 cups baby arugula, loosely packed
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Cook the orzo. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook according to package directions, about 8–9 minutes, until al dente. Drain and rinse briefly under cold water to stop the cooking, then spread on a sheet pan to cool for 5 minutes.
Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, red pepper flakes if using, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Combine. Transfer the cooled orzo to a large mixing bowl. Add the cherry tomatoes and red onion and pour the dressing over the top. Toss to coat evenly.
Fold in the greens and cheese. Add the arugula and feta and fold gently until the arugula just begins to wilt slightly from the warmth of the orzo. The arugula should stay mostly fresh and peppery.
Serve. Serve immediately at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to 2 hours. If making ahead, hold the arugula and feta and stir them in just before serving so the greens stay bright.

Nutrition (per serving)

Orzo with Feta and Arugula — Something Fresh for the Long Days