Pasta Salad

This doesn’t have to be a recipe because you can make this any way you want. You can add meats like ham, sausage or bit of chicken; cheese such as little cubes of swiss, cheddar or feta; any vegetables you like: tomatoes, artichoke hearts, cucumbers or zucchini. Really, add anything as long as you like it. Here is one version to get you started.

 

SERVES 8 AS A SIDE DISH 

 

Ingredients:

1 pound pasta such as elbow macaroni, gemelli, celentani, rotini

 

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 small red onion, chopped

1 cup peas, cooked, cooled and drained

1 cup Spanish olives, pitted or pimento stuffed, cut in half

¼ cup fresh parsley or basil, chopped

 

For the dressing:

1/2 - 3/4 cup mayonnaise, to taste

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon white wine vinegar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

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Instructions: 

▪ Fill a large pot with 4 quarts of cold water, cover it and bring to a full boil. Add salt to taste. Add the pasta all at once, stir it to get it uniformly cooking, and set a timer for the recommended time on the package. A minute or so before the end time taste a piece of pasta for doneness. You’re looking for just a bit of resistance as you bite into it; not too hard and not too soft, but “al dente” or “to the tooth”. When the pasta is done, drain it and set it aside.

 

▪ Prepare all the vegetables: wash and dry the celery, pepper and parsley or basil before chopping.

 

▪ Mix together the ingredients for the dressing. Taste and adjust to suit your taste.

 

▪ When the pasta is cool and dry, mix in the vegetables, and then add the dressing, tossing gently so the pasta, vegetables and dressing are all evenly distributed.

 

▪ Cover and refrigerate. It is possible to serve this right away, but the flavor will be improved if it has a couple of hours to sit.