Orzo salad with serrano ham and roasted peppers

We tried serrano ham for the first time in this dish a couple nights ago, which I made based on an intriguing Epicurious recipe. Apart from M's reasonable point that it seemed like more of a side salad than a main dish, we both enjoyed it a lot, and I found it plenty for a light supper. I didn't take a picture because the end result looked kind of like a mess after I mixed it all up; it would be much prettier as a layered salad perhaps. I was surprised at how creamy and flavorful the dressing was: I've never made one that started out with equal parts almonds and water, but it definitely works.

Spanish orzo salad
Yield: 2 main-dish or about 4 side servings
(You will have a fair amount of leftover dressing; you may have to puree it again with a little water to return it to the proper consistency after a couple days in the fridge, as I've just discovered.)

1 small, or 1/2 a large, shallot, chopped fine
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 c. plus 2 Tbsp. blanched slivered almonds, toasted and cooled
1/2 c. water
1 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 generous pinch piment d'espelette, or 1/4 tsp. hot sauce (like Tabasco)
1/8 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
4 oz. dry orzo, cooked al dente, then drained and tossed with a tsp. olive oil and spread out over a baking sheet to cool to room temp.
about half a 12 oz jar of piquillo, or regular red/yellow roasted peppers, rinsed and patted dry, then sliced thin
1 large slice serrano ham, sliced into ribbons
2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced into eighths

To make the dressing, combine the shallot, salt, 1/2 c. almonds, water, vinegar, oil, hot sauce or piment, and pepper in a blender; puree til completely smooth. Taste and season if necessary.

Scrape the cooled orzo into a bowl and combine with a couple spoonfuls of dressing. At this point you could assemble the salad in layers, or just mix the orzo with the ham, peppers, and reserved 2 Tbsp. almonds, then arrange the sliced eggs on top of each serving with another sprinkle of the piment d'espelette and/or drizzle of dressing.