Farm Stand to Table is a monthly recipe that features the seasonal bounty of North Fork farm stands.
I’ll admit, when heading to the farm stands to pick up ingredients for this recipe, I had no idea what I was going to make. It seems like in the past few weeks, a lot of local stands have opened up offering a myriad of different early produce to choose from. When I walked into the barn at KK’s the Farm and saw the white bins of leafy greens, I knew I was going to buy them. But the second I saw the baby Swiss chard with soft stems of red, orange and yellow, I knew I could make spring in a dish, both in looks and taste.
On the way home, I picked a few leaves out of the bag and popped them in my mouth — slightly bitter, a little sweet, but not stalk-y like their adult version. A colorful pasta salad felt like a perfect fit. It’s one of those dishes that is mostly seen as a side, but let’s be honest. I’ve spent many a nights just noshing on a pasta salad for my app, main and side.
This salad is colorful and bright. The stems from the swiss chard give vibrancy and the lemon reminds you of the season. The seared mushrooms give a nice hearty-ness, and the feta brings in some tang. If you want to lean into that earthy flavor, toast your dry orzo in a pan before boiling it.
Ingredients
Salad
- 1/2 pound orzo
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms sliced
- olive oil
- 1 red onion sliced
- 2 cups baby swiss chard torn
- 1/2 cup parsley chopped
- 1/2 cup dill chopped
- 1 cup feta cheese crumbled
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Dressing
- zest of one lemon
- juice of one lemon
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Directions
- Cook the orzo pasta according to box instructions. Make sure to salt the water well, drain and set aside.
- In a medium pan, add one tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat. After five minutes, add half of the mushrooms and cook undisturbed for five minutes. You are looking to get a nice sear on one side to give a nice flavor. Stir and cook for an additional five to seven minutes to release their water. Salt to taste and set aside.
- Once the orzo is cook, add it to a large mixing bowl with the mushrooms, swiss chard, onion, herbs and feta. Mix the lemon zest, juice, olive oil, salt and pepper together. Pour over the salad and mix well until combined. Taste for seasoning.
