A couple of years ago, some friends and I had a Summer Salad Club. We stretched the bounds of the summer slightly, starting in May and going into the first weeks of September. We'd get together for a potluck dinner every few weeks, each time trying to bring a new salad that included fresh, seasonal ingredients.

I was flipping through a file folder of recipes tonight, looking for a recipe for a brie and tomato pasta sauce that I remember clipping from the newspaper last summer (I never did find it), when I stumbled across a print out that dates back to the early days of the salad club. It is for an Orzo, Arugula, Radicchio and Pine Nut salad and is from cooking.com. It is super garlicky (a feature I particularly love) and has a nice combination of textures and crunch. As we head into the end of summer, some of the delicate salad greens are coming back into the farmers markets, which are perfect for this salad. The recipe is after the jump.

You might notice that the picture above doesn't perfectly match the recipe, but I do think that basil would be a nice addition to this recipe, if you wanted to go that way. Orzo, Arugula, Radicchio and Pine Nut Salad

3 cpus uncooked orzo
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup finely sliced green onion
2 cups chopped arugula
2 cups chopped radicchio
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
3/4 cup toasted pine nuts

Cook orzo in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender to the bite. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Immediately stir in olive oil and garlic. Let stand until almost cool, about 15 minutes. Stir in green onions and let stand until cool. Stir in chopped arugula and radicchio.

Sprinkle balsamic vinegar over orzo mixture and toss well. Mix in cheese and pine nuts. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

My only addition to the recipe would be to save a little bit of the pasta water, in case the salad seems a little dry.