Mediterranean Orzo Salad

There are certain flavour combinations that instantly transport you to the warm climes of the Med... in this case, the tang of sherry vinegar, the earthiness of olive oil and the saltiness of black olives - yum!

For those that don't know, orzo is a rice shaped pasta which, as well as being great for risotto, really lends itself to a salad. I like to rustle this salad up all the time as it's a mixture of things that I pretty much always have in my cupboard with a handful of green beans. If you don't have the beans, try asparagus or tenderstem broccoli instead.

Mediterranean Orzo Salad
Serves 2

½ red onion, finely sliced
2 tbsp sherry vinegar
150g green beans, cut into bite-sized pieces
100g orzo
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tin tuna, drained and flaked
3 roasted peppers from a jar, chopped
12 black olives, halved
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put the onions and vinegar in a bowl and season well with salt and pepper.

Cook the beans in boiling salted water for 3 minutes then scoop out with a slotted spoon and rinse with cold water. Cook the orzo according to packet instructions in the same water until just tender then drain, rinse under cold water and drain really well again.

Tip the beans, orzo, olive oil, tuna, peppers and olives into the bowl with the onion and season well. Toss together and serve.