So all the props go to Ina Garten for this recipe.  But it is so good, it is worth writing about even if I had nothing to do with it’s creation.  There is something about the combination of orzo, fresh basil, roasted eggplant, roasted peppers and feta that is so divine and scrumptious!  This is one of those salads that you can bring to any summer potluck and people will think you are the best cook ever.  If you manage to have any leftovers, you will find that they miraculously disappear in the middle of the night or at least before you are able to eat it.  Seriously, people that don’t normally compliment your food will remark about how good this is.  And what is wonderful about it is that you can make it the day before, as I did this weekend to take with me to a party in the city.

Just don’t set it out on the counter the night before you are bringing it to the party, because your husband may just take the serving spoon stuck into the bowl and greedily gobble 4 spoonfuls in the time it takes to scream, “No….” (Hypothetically speaking, of course.)

I’ve made a few tweaks along the way to the original recipe that is featured in the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, Parties!  In all honesty, it’s more because my mother gave me the recipe over the phone one day with the list of ingredients and her memory of the directions.  I think my aunt had given it to her over the phone as well so it was really our own family’s endearing version of telephone.  It was only recently that I actually realized it was Ina Garten’s recipe, and even more recently that I realized I had the very recipe in a cookbook on my shelf!  Who knew!?!

So I’ve always made this salad the way I write it below, and I have no idea whether the original recipe as precisely made according to Ina Garten’s recipe is better.  It may be (and probably is), but this one is so incredibly yummy that I’m not fooling with it.  Having said that, my mom did a pretty good job of telling me the directions over the phone so I really did not do much to change the original.  Two things I did change:  I roasted shallots (2 medium) instead of one red onion because I am allergic to red onions.  And I also chose to roast the red and orange (instead of yellow) peppers whole brushed with olive oil, salt and pepper instead of chopping them up before roasting them and cooking them in garlic.  If you do them this way, you can peel the waxy skin off the pepper once it is nice and charred and chop the peppers up.  It’s a bit more work, I suppose.  But that is the way I like to do peppers.   Also, it is a total preference thing whether you like to do the feta in little chunks (as Ina recommends) or as crumbled.  I used crumbled this weekend because it was what I had bought by accident.  I think I prefer them chopped up in little squares instead because it means that feta doesn’t overpower the tastes of everything else in the recipe.  Although if you are someone who loves feta or you are pressed for time, then add the crumbled.  It’s still really good.  I also roast my pine nuts in a small amount of olive oil (just enough to coat the pan).

Orzo Salad with Roasted Vegetables

Adapted from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa, Parties!

1 red bell pepper

1 orange bell pepper

1 eggplant, 3/4 inch dice

2 shallots, peeled and quartered

2 garlic cloves minced

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

1/2 lb orzo

4 scallions

1/4 cup pine nuts (roasted in olive oil – about 2 tsp for approximately 4 minutes)

1/3 cup feta (diced in small little chunks or crumbled)

1/4 cup basil, chopped

Dressing

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Brush the two bell peppers with olive oil and grind fresh pepper and sea salt over the peppers, turning to fully coat on a cookie sheet.  Toss the eggplant, shallots and garlic in olive oil, salt and pepper in a large baking dish.  Roast both in oven for about 35-40 minutes (peppers will be considerably charred and eggplant will be browned).  Let cool for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the orzo for 7-9 minutes.  Drain and add to serving bowl.

The two peppers will be deflated, and you will be able to peel the skin off the peppers.  De-seed and chop in 1/4 inch dice.  Add to serving dish.  To the extent that any of your eggplant and shallot pieces look too big for a bite, you may also want to additionally chop before adding them from pan (with the juices) to the serving bowl.  Add dressing to the serving bowl and toss.  Let cool to room temperature and add remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.

You can make the following the day or night before, but let it cool to room temperature before serving.