cucumber

Antipasta Pasta Salad

cooking

Another potluck to celebrate a holiday at work….makes working during a long weekend a lot more bearable.  If you are looking for a pasta salad that you can make ahead of time and isn’t drenched in mayo, look no further!  A trick to lessen the greasiness from the meat is to microwave it for a bit to render out some of the fat.  The key to good flavor is to salt the pasta cooking water and dress the pasta when it is still hot from cooking.

You can use any vegetables you’d like.  The original recipe included on prepared/cooked vegetables.  I like the addition of fresh veggies like the tomatoes and cucumbers to lighten up the salad for the hot weather.  Raw broccoli florets cut into small pieces and roasted veggies like eggplant or zucchini would work well too.

DRESSING INGREDIENTS:

10 TBSP red wine vinegar, divided

3 TBSP mayonnaise

6 TBSP olive oil

2 TBSP juice from jar of pepperoncinis

4 cloves finely minced garlic

1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

SALAD INGREDIENTS:

8oz package of button/brown mushrooms, quartered

12oz jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped into chunks

1/2 small jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and quartered

About a dozen marinated pepperoncinis, chopped with 1 TBSP juice reserved

1 cup shredded mozarella cheese

4-6 oz sliced pepperoni, salami or other cured meat, sliced into 1/4 inch strips

1 jar olives

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cucumber chopped into chunks the size of the halved tomatoes

1 large handful basil, chiffonade

1 ld bite sized pasta (penne, bowties, fusilli)

Boil 4 quarts of water, 1 TBSP salt and pasta until al dente according to the package instructions.

Meanwhile, prepare the dressing.

Whisk 5 TBSP red wine vinegar and the rest of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.  Set aside 1/2 cup of dressing, adding the remaining 5 TBSP red wine vinegar to the reserved dressing.  This will be used to dress the hot pasta.  The rest will be used to cook the mushrooms.

Drain the cooked pasta well and return to the pot.  Add the 1/2 cup of reserved dressing with added red wine vinegar to the hot pasta and mix well.  Adjust seasoning to taste.  Lay pasta out on foil-lined baking sheet and allow to cool for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a saute pan, add the remaining dressing and simmer on med-high heat.  Add mushrooms and cook until tender (around 5-8 minutes).  Remove mushrooms with a slotted spoon and allow to cool.

Place cured meat on a paper towel-lined plate as a single layers, topping each layer with paper towels.  Microwave for about 60 seconds.  Blot grease and set aside until you are read to assemble the salad

Once the pasta has cooled to slightly warmer than room temperature, use a big bowl to assemble the salad.  Combine the dressed pasta, cured meats, vegetables and cheese.  Add the basil last to prevent over handling and bruising.  Season to preference.

Serve at room temperature.  Can be prepared a few days ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator.

korean bbq trial

cooking

i can’t remember what inspired me, but the weather was supposed to be in the 80s this weekend so we could bbq, and since i was working this weekend as well, korean bbq, which could be prepared ahead of time, sounded like a good idea.

i had a recipe saved in my email sent to me from one of my good korean friends.  but as she doesn’t cook, she had never made the recipe sent to her from another friend.  i planned to try out he recipe, until i started reading the ingredient list.  3 cups of sugar for half a cup of soy sauce???  how could that be right?!

so i started my search for a better recipe that would call for a sugar paste as a marinade.  most recipes had the same basic components:  soy sauce, garlic, Asian pear and sesame oil.  the component adding sweetness varied.  i took my old korean roommate’s advice who said that her mom’s secret was a can of 7-up to tenderize the meat and add sweetness.

i got short ribs from the korean market and prepared the marinade the night before to optimize flavor.  we brought the meat over to my brother-in-law’s house to prepare dinner for the busy new parents.

i was pretty happy with the results.  slightly sweet and savory.  the meat was tender and aromatic.  i made a homemade soy-based dipping sauce and two veggie side dishes to go along with the hot white rice.

KALBI

Short Ribs:  3-4 pounds

Marinade:

1 large Asian pear

8 cloves garlic

1 thumb-sized pice of garlic

1/2 onion

3/4 cup soy sauce

3/4 cup 7-Up

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp honey

a generous drizzling sesame oil

3 green onions, sliced

In the food processor, place the Asian pear garlic, onion and ginger and process until a puree is produced

Pour the contents into a 9X13 baking dish.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir gently to combine

Add the short ribs, cover and refrigerate for at least a few hours, ideally overnight

Remove the ribs from the fridge and grill for just a few minutes, and enjoy!

SOY DIPPING SAUCE

3 tbsp soybean paste

1-2 tbsp chili paste

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp sesame oil

Combine ingredients and stir until smooth, tasting along the way to get the perfect balance of salty, spicy and slightly sweet

MARINATED CUCUMBERS

Combine:

5-6 small Persian cucumbers, cut into chunks

1 green onion, thinly sliced on the bias

3/4 tsp salt

2 tsp Korean chili powder

1 tsp vinegar

1 tsp honey

SIMPLE BEAN SPROUTS

bean sprouts, blanched and cooled in an ice bath

salt

sesame oil