Orzo salad with broccoli and radicchio recipe

To give this fresh orzo salad a variety of balanced flavors, we included broccoli, bitter radicchio, salty sun-dried tomatoes, and crunchy pine nuts. Cooking the orzo in the same water that we used to quickly blanch the broccoli imparted a delicate vegetal flavor throughout the dish and helped streamline the recipe. To ensure that the orzo was tender even when served cold, we cooked it al dente. To bring together all the flavors of the dish, we made a bold dressing with balsamic vinegar and honey. Toasting the pine nuts intensified their nutty flavor and brought further dimension to the orzo. Sharp Parmesan added the perfect salty accent, and a hefty dose of chopped basil gave us a fresh finish to lighten this hearty dish. Cooking the pasta until it is completely tender and leaving it slightly wet after rinsing are important for the texture of the finished salad.