My parents have a story about a family picnic that occurred during the 1970′s. It involves the potluck family food buffet and a big bowl of macaroni salad. The way the story plays out is that no matter how much dry, flavorless and horrible macaroni salad was eaten, the bowl seemed to be just as full. A never-ending bowl of starchy and greasy horror.
Fast forward to now. A new era, a new generation, but gluten-free. I’m sure you’ve cooked GF pasta and tried to eat it again once it cold. I’m sure you’re thinking-”yeah, I have and it’s always hard and gross”. Well, I came up with this recipe the other night and served it to my friends and family at our Day-After-the-4th Celebration. I would be able to post a picture, except it was all gone.
Pasta Salad Worth Eating
Ingredients:
1 bag Tinkyada Spirals
1 can artichoke hearts (in water), drained and chopped
1 small jar pimentos, diced
3 green olives, diced
6 Kalamata olives, diced
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 green onion, sliced
6 slices salami, sliced very thin
6 fresh basil leavs, chopped or chiffonade
1 tsp fresh garlic, chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
An optional sprinkle of parmesan for the top
Dressing:(you have two choices)
1. The quick way: about 3/4 of a bottle of Girard’s Champagne Dressing
2. Longer way:
1/2 c. olive oil
1/4 c. vinegar (red wine, rice or sherry)
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
Method:
Cook pasta according to package directions (the one where you bring the water to a boil, then put pasta in, cook on high for 2 minutes, then cover and turn off the heat and let sit for 12-15 minutes). Keep an eye on it as you want it cooked, but not mushy. When cooked, drain water, rinse with VERY HOT water, drain that off, rinse with a little cool water to cool it only slightly. Put into a big bowl and toss with about 1/4 of the dressing that you are using. Let it cool in the bowl while you chop and dice everything else.
Add all the chopped and diced items to the pasta (except for the parmesan), toss. Add the rest of the dressing. Toss again. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve or chill and remove from fridge about 1/2 hour before serving. Sprinkle the parm on top just before serving:)
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Last Saturday was neighborhood yard sale day in my ‘hood. We can’t resist a yard sale, never mind a whole neighborhood full of them. Not only were there a lot of big sales, but there were a bunch of stuff that people put to the curb with a simple for sale sign on it. That’s the way that we got a Webber Gas Grill for $25! The grill is superb. But even more superb is the fact that the people selling the grill came out to talk to us. Next thing you know, we’re talking locavore food, raw milk deliveries and stay-at-home momming. The mom gave me this book to read and I’m so glad, in fact, I can’t really leave it alone. Not only does it have great recipes, but in all the margins of the book it has bits and pieces of research pertinent to the topic of the page. I’m hooked, I’m sold, I’m ordering my own copy off of Amazon right now! So can you, you won’t be sorry:)
