LoboGunLeather
US Veteran
Thermometer hovering in the upper 90s to low 100s for the past several weeks. Tiresome, tedious, and a few other adjectives come to mind. We still have to eat, but who wants to deal with a belly full of heavy food on a hot day?
Pasta salad. Not heavy on the gut, easy to digest, cool and refreshing. Today's iteration:
1/2 lb. tri-color rotini (just about any pasta will do the job, but I like these little bite-sized morsels).
2- medium fresh tomatoes, diced.
1-small bell pepper, diced.
4 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced.
1- fresh cucumber, diced.
Half-dozen fresh bunching onions, chopped.
4 oz. black olives, diced.
Italian salad dressing (vinegar, oil, Italian spices).
Spicy brown mustard (Guldens is good).
The hard part:
1. 2 qt. saucepan, 1 qt. water, sprinkle of salt, tablespoon olive oil, bring to boil, add pasta, reduce heat, cover, allow to simmer until 'al dente' (still a little chewy).
2. While the pasta is cooking, chop and dice your veggies. Put them into a mixing bowl, add Italian salad dressing sufficient to coat the veggies, add about a tablespoon of spicy brown mustard, mix thoroughly.
3. Drain pasta, pour into a colander, rinse with cold water until cool to the touch. Add to the veggie mix. Toss thoroughly to mix together.
4. Cover the bowl, place in refrigerator for 2 hours.
5. Serve chilled.
Makes about 6 cups of pasta salad. I like it with buttered garlic toast. If I'm really hungry I can add a cup of minestrone soup on the side. Bottle of pilsner beer or a glass of Chardonnay completes the serving.
Other ingredients to consider:
-fresh broccoli, chopped.
-fresh zucchini or Italian yellow squash, chopped.
-meats (ham, salami, pepperoni), diced.
-cheeses (goat cheese, provolone, Monterey Jack, Romano, Parmesan) shredded or ground.
-fresh ground black pepper corns.
I can't think of too many ways to mess this up. Prep time about a half-hour. Ready to serve as soon as it is chilled nicely. Leftovers are good for a few days in the refrigerator.
Get creative and enjoy!
Pasta salad. Not heavy on the gut, easy to digest, cool and refreshing. Today's iteration:
1/2 lb. tri-color rotini (just about any pasta will do the job, but I like these little bite-sized morsels).
2- medium fresh tomatoes, diced.
1-small bell pepper, diced.
4 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced.
1- fresh cucumber, diced.
Half-dozen fresh bunching onions, chopped.
4 oz. black olives, diced.
Italian salad dressing (vinegar, oil, Italian spices).
Spicy brown mustard (Guldens is good).
The hard part:
1. 2 qt. saucepan, 1 qt. water, sprinkle of salt, tablespoon olive oil, bring to boil, add pasta, reduce heat, cover, allow to simmer until 'al dente' (still a little chewy).
2. While the pasta is cooking, chop and dice your veggies. Put them into a mixing bowl, add Italian salad dressing sufficient to coat the veggies, add about a tablespoon of spicy brown mustard, mix thoroughly.
3. Drain pasta, pour into a colander, rinse with cold water until cool to the touch. Add to the veggie mix. Toss thoroughly to mix together.
4. Cover the bowl, place in refrigerator for 2 hours.
5. Serve chilled.
Makes about 6 cups of pasta salad. I like it with buttered garlic toast. If I'm really hungry I can add a cup of minestrone soup on the side. Bottle of pilsner beer or a glass of Chardonnay completes the serving.
Other ingredients to consider:
-fresh broccoli, chopped.
-fresh zucchini or Italian yellow squash, chopped.
-meats (ham, salami, pepperoni), diced.
-cheeses (goat cheese, provolone, Monterey Jack, Romano, Parmesan) shredded or ground.
-fresh ground black pepper corns.
I can't think of too many ways to mess this up. Prep time about a half-hour. Ready to serve as soon as it is chilled nicely. Leftovers are good for a few days in the refrigerator.
Get creative and enjoy!
