Because this orzo salad brings together a trio of delightful spring vegetables (radish, snap peas, and green peas), I wanted to begin with a few lines of springtime poetry, perhaps a nice Mary Oliver or a pensive Robert Frost. But unfortunately, the poetry class I’ve taken this semester on W.B. Yeats, T.S. Eliot and Ezra Pound has the verse part of my brain consumed wholly with the work of these three gentlemen. All three are geniuses, of course, but they don’t always (or ever) deliver the flowery, sunshine rhymes one wants in April.

Alas, all I can think of is the opening lines of Eliot’s “The Wasteland”:

“April is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.”

Beautiful, disturbing, and not at all related to orzo. Oh well. On to the good stuff.

springtime orzo salad
Adapted from Running with Tweezers

1 cup orzo, uncooked
14 or so ounces plain Greek yogurt
zest of 1 lemon
1 bunch fresh chives, chopped
1 bunch of radishes, washed, trimmed of leaves and sliced into thin coins
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup sugar snap peas, cut in half
salt & pepper to taste

Okay, so instructions for this dish are pretty simple. First cook the orzo to a state of al dente-ish (8-9 minutes worked for me). Two minutes before the orzo’s done cooking, throw in the frozen peas. Drain and let cool.

In a medium bowl, combine lemon zest, chives and yogurt. Add orzo and toss to coat.

Mix in radishes and snap peas. Salt and pepper to taste. Best served chilled or at room temperature.

This amount serves about eight as a side dish. Crunchy, creamy, chewy, and (are you tired of this word yet?) springy, the dish did well on our Easter Sunday table. As always, let me know if you give it a go!