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.
Nesting On A Hill 