Delicious, Quick and Easy Pasta Salad Dishes

Cold pasta salad recipes are great every day side dishes,
but they are perfect for entertaining too.

The Italians need little excuse for a party or celebration
and eating Al Freso (outside) is one of the delights of
summer.

When you look at a pasta salad you want it to be impressive
and you can do this effortlessly and with few ingredients.
The trick is to use only seasonal ingredients, that way it
will be healthy, colourful and easy on the eye.

This Italian pasta salad recipe is a real crowd-pleaser; it
is so easy to prepare, and so delicious you will make it
over and over again. For summer picnics and barbecues a
pasta salad with Italian dressing is always welcome.

Start with the Pasta

Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil and add
pasta.  Vary the look of your salad by using a variety of
pasta shapes. I often use tagliatelle or conchiglie (shells)
pasta but farfalle pasta (the butterfly shape) or curly
fusilli would be a nice visual change. Cook your pasta Al
dente as al dente cooked pasta will hold its texture with
the salad dressing added to it much better that well cooked,
mushy pasta. One cooked rinse, drain well and store in a
tightly covered bowl in the refrigerator. Then you'll be
ready to make your salad in an instant! The next thing to
remember is to dress the salad last minute as pasta absorbs
the dressing and it will end up looking dry after standing
for a while. So here are a few ideas for pasta salads:

1. Try dressing warm tagliatelle with sesame oil, fresh
basil, walnuts and Gorgonzola cheese for an amazingly tasty
pasta salad.

2. Try mixing cooked pasta shells with blanched green beans,
halved cherry tomatoes and low fat mozzarella, then drizzle
with fresh Caesar salad dressing for a simple pasta salad.

3. Saute some mushrooms for 6-8 minutes add truffle oil and
put to one side to cool. In a large bowl, combine the pasta,
mushrooms, 3 tbspoons olive oil, parsley and seasoning.
Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with the parmesan
shavings and serve.

4. Chop up some cooked chicken and add some crispy smoked
bacon then drizzle with tarragon flavoured oil.

5. Take some Basil flavoured oil and  add to pasta with
chopped tomatoes then sprinkle with torn basil leaves

You can buy herb flavoured oils in your supermarket but it
is wholly satisfying to make your own particularly if you
have fresh herb s which give a much superior flavour.
However, the oil is less likely to last more than a couple
of months if made with fresh rather than dried herbs

Start with selecting your clean  jar or bottle and you will
need enough herbs to ¼ fill it. Wash them first then blanch
them in boiling water for about 3 minutes. Then, strain and
put under cold water for a few seconds.

Proceed to chop or tear (particularly basil) the herbs. You
can leave thyme and rosemary sprigs whole if you want a
decorative effect. Pat dry, soaking up as much moisture as
you can. Leave the herbs to continue to dry in the sun or
overnight if you can. Bacteria cannot grow in the olive oil,
but it can grow on any water left on the herbs over time,
hence the problem of spoilage and food-borne illness when
using fresh herbs. As long as you allow time for your herbs
to dry completely, your mixture will be fine.

Then, place the herbs in the jar or bottle; fill with olive
oil and seal. The oil will begin to absorb the intense
flavours rather quickly, but leaving it set for at least a
month will continue to produce a more powerful, distinct
flavour. Store the bottles in a cool, dry place.

With fresh herbs, it is best to store the oils  in the
fridge and use it within a week to a month.

Kath Ibbetson has a BSc, a diploma in aromatherapy and a
certificate in counselling. But most of all she is a mother
and an enthusiastic Italian cook. Italian food is her
passion and she has been cooking it for 30 years. Visit her
site at FoodTheItalianWay.com

Article Directory: Article Dashboard http://www.articledashboard.com