Fresh, fast, easy and delicious pasta salad perfect for picnics and barbeques. Utilizes fresh herbs and tomatoes from the garden. Lots of flavors and textures. An adult spin on my Mom's pasta salad I loved so much when I was a kid. This is sure to be a crowd pleaser.
You'll need:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sea Salt
1 lb of fusilli or rotini pasta (barilla or DeCecco brand)
1 large pint of cherry tomatoes
1 12 oz pkg of queso fresco cut into medium dice (semi-soft mild mexican cheese) you can also use ricotta salata
1 8 oz log of Volpi brand Chianti Salami or other high quality salami, cut into small dice
1 T of dried lemon grass
Red wine vinegar
Alessi brand white balsamic pear infused vinegar
crushed red chili pepper (to taste)
A handful each of fresh basil and flat leaf parsley rinsed, roughly chopped
A few sprigs of fresh picked thyme or a teaspoon of dried
1. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.
2. Add pasta and cook for 8 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat up olive oil in saute pan on high heat and add cherry tomatoes. When they start to crackle sprinkle some sea salt on them. Shake the pan to turn tomatoes and add sprigs of thyme. Tomatoes should cook for about 5 minutes, just until the skin starts to pucker and crack. Allow to cool in pan.
4. Strain pasta and toss with a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking. Allow to cool. DO NOT RINSE
5. Add pasta back to empty pot. It may still be a little warm, that is OK. Add chili pepper, lemongrass, more olive oil (about a 1/4 cup) and splash a couple tablespoons of red wine vinegar and a few splashes of the pear vinegar, to taste. Add in salami.
6. Transfer tomatoes to a plate and slice in half with a sharp serrated knife. Pour tomatoes and their juices into the pot and combine with pasta. Add in cheese. Add in roughly chopped herbs and toss all together, serve at room temperature. Should keep for about 5 days in the refrigerator.
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