PaperChef #41: We Have A Winner!

Well Kristina, I am passing the PaperChef hat on to you for your Orzo Salad with Asparagus, Artichokes, Tuna & Lemon Vodka Vinaigrette recipe. Congratulations! The stunning photo above is from Kristina’s blog, Former Chef.

What a task, trying to choose between such worthy contenders. With Vodka as the fourth ingredient, I knew I’d see some interesting entries. But these dishes were nothing short of beautiful.

As a quick reminder, contestants created a recipe using ingredients from my Vegas PaperChef post – asparagus, artichokes, tuna and vodka. I chose Kristina’s dish, from for a few reasons:

• I love her vinaigrette. The olive oil to vodka ratio is tastefully balanced, and the lemon adds great pucker.
• Olives lend color, salt and an intense flavor to the subtle vegetables. Plus they pair well with artichokes.
• Orzo is interesting – not your average pasta for salads. I enjoy orzo because it absorbs the surrounding flavors and is not heavy like rigatoni or penne.

She carefully selected each ingredient and prepared them artfully, at least to my eyes. This was not an easy decision – check out the collection of recipes for yourself and you be the judge.

On a side note, I’m in the process of redesigning Local Lemons while teaching myself some CSS. Bear with me and excuse my recent lack of tasty recipes

Tagged as: events