We just had our End of Summer Yoga Potluck and after I
munched on kale, farro, chickpea salad, some vegan coleslaw and my
almost-famous salted caramel cupcakes I thought about how I’ve changed as an
eater. I loved the salad and now will
have to try to recreate it and see if B will eat it but growing up I was a
picky eater. Think of the pickiest
person you know, then double their pickiness and then maybe, just maybe that
was me.
My mother’s favorite story of how picky I was comes from when
I was about 7 and we were going to a family reunion in PA. On the way there we
stopped at a diner. Seems pretty strange
since we were heading to a party with tons of food. However, I did not eat hamburgers, hot dogs,
pasta salad, macaroni salad, potato salad, baked beans, or pretty much anything
that was at a BBQ. So my father
dutifully stopped and bought two grilled cheese sandwiches wrapped in aluminum
foil so that when he was grilling later at the party he could just plop them on
the grill to warm them up. (And yes, I
really was/am that much of a princess)
Even now, I’m not a huge fan of a mayonnaise based salads,
I’ll try them when someone brings them, but they’re not my go to.
My go to for BBQ parties is my easy-peasy Italian pasta salad
that even pickiest of eaters will eat.
This pasta salad is has a fresh summer caprese feel to it
with tomatoes, basil, fresh mozzarella cheese (because cheese makes everything better) and pasta
(today I used veggie pasta for some more veggies in there.)
Ingredients:
- About a 1 pint of Cherry tomatoes or 1-2 full sized
- 4-5, Basil leaves
- Half a box of any pasta shape you like.
- Either Fresh mozzarella ball cut into bite size pieces or the mozzarella bocconcini about 8oz. I had a little less because I had to do some quality control.
Dressing:
- ½ tsp Dijon mustard
- 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 garlic clove
- ½ c of extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and Black pepper to taste.
1) Bring a pot of
salted water to a boil. It is important
to salt the pasta water because it is the only opportunity to salt the pasta.
2) Cook the pasta
according to the directions on the box.
After straining the pasta run cold water over it. This will end the cooking process.
3) While the pasta is
cooking cut the cherry tomatoes in half or dice the full sized tomatos.
4) Chiffonade the basil.
Which means roll the basil leaves and cut small strips.
5) If using the fresh mozzarella ball cut into pieces or if
using bocconcini, maybe cut in half or quarters.
6) Assemble the pasta salad!
In a large bowl combine the tomatoes, basil, cooked pasta, and
mozzarella.
Now to make the dressing….
I use my favorite Pyrex measuring cup with a spout but you could also
make it in a blender or a food processor. If you're pressed for time feel free to use some bottled balsamic vinaigrette or Italian dressing. It would work just fine!
7) Drop in the Dijon mustard and the balsamic vinegar and mix
rigorously. I used a fork because my whisk
is too large for the Pyrex.
8) Grate the garlic into the dressing with a microplane. If using a blender or food processor you can
make that do all the work.
9) Slowly, while still mixing mix rigorously, add the extra
virgin olive oil. Add salt/pepper to
taste.
10) Pour over the pasta salad and let chill out in the refrigerator
for at least a half hour for the flavors to blend.
Yum!!
I usually serve it with a slotted spoon because it is loaded with dressing. Enjoy!
Sorry for the lack of pictures at the beginning, I forgot until halfway through making it!
Sorry for the lack of pictures at the beginning, I forgot until halfway through making it!
