"No Leftovers" Pasta Salad

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CharFace

Cook
Joined
Jan 28, 2007
Messages
71
Location
SW FL
Here it is... My Greek Pasta Salad that has never failed to impress, no matter what the actual ingredients of the day were.

The only "rule" is to think Mediterranean. i.e., keep it light and simple... No heavy oils, no mayo, etc.

That being said, this side is pure fridge and pantry velcro, and can rid you of all sorts of unwanted leftovers!

So, here we go:

1. Tri-Color Rotini is my recommended pasta, but i have used standard rotini, whole-wheat rotini, and all sots of oddly-shaped pastas before.

2. Shreded Carrots are added next, I usually chop my own into thin rounds, but I had some leftover shredded carrots this time.

3. Add some onions. My favorite are red onions for the color and bite, but sweet onions, or even scallions have been added before! Oh, yeah, my onions are almost always in a rough-chopped, quarter moon type state. That way, onion naysayers can easily remove the offending veggies!

4. Chiles!!! Use whatever you like, or whatever you have. I have used Poblanos, Serranos, Cubanelles, Anahiems, and of course, jalapenos! I think I added 3 of them to be exact, roughly diced for easy extraction, if desired.

5. Add One Lemon's juice, and mix the salad thoroughly. This accomplishes 2 things. First, the acid bath will keep your fresh cut veggies from even thinking of turning brown during your picnic. And second, we have just started making a very bright base for our dressing!

6. Season the salad with some black pepper and some basil. I'd say about 2 tsp to 1 Tbsp of each. I tend not to add any salt to this salad (in addition to what is in the dressing) as it seems to pull moisture out of the veggies and creates an ugly pool of sludge at the bottom of your dish :cry:

7. Speaking of dressing, lets do that now. We need about 3/4 cup overall. You can go as simple as store-bought Italian or Greek (My favorite Store-bought Greek is Athenos Brand Greek w/feta FWIW). I usually end up making my own dressing, though. Its easy, just put a dab of dijon-style mustard (1tsp?) in a small bowl. Add a couple of splashs of red wine vinegar (2 Tbsp's?) and an equal amount of fresh-squeezed lemon juice. Whisk in some EVOO, I'd say about 3/8 cup, or so, and season with salt, pepper, and some granulated garlic - Killer Greek :twisted:

8. Gotta have some Feta! I added One package (3 oz, I think) of a tomato-basil feta. Any kind will do, though.

Mix your salad up good, and throw it in the chill chest for few hours so that all of the ingredients can get friendly. When you pop it open, this is what you will see! It's a crowd pleaser for sure, My family and friends love it.

Many of you will be saying "you forgot the olives..." :oops:

Well, truth be told, I am disgusted by those things... I even drink my Martinis straight, or with a twist (or 2) only 8)

That being said, I have put pitted and chopped Kalamata olives in my salad before and had rave reviews!

Enjoy, make it your own!
 
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