Italian Picnic Pasta Salad
Total time: 35 minutes
This is the 'classic' or original (close to it, anyway) Pasta Salad. The original called for bottled "Italian Dressing" but I prefer to make my own. It's a great salad to take to a pot-luck picnic or to plan on leftovers. For two I would simply cut everything in half.
Ingredients:
- 6oz (180gr) sliced, hard salami
- 1 red onion
- 1 cup green olives (or Greek dry-cured, kalamata, whatever you like) I used 1/2 green and 1/2 Greek
- 4oz (120gr) mushrooms
- 2 ribs celery
- 1 cup (6oz, 180gr) cherry tomatoes
- 1 green bell pepper or any color
- 2 cups (6oz, 180gr) pasta, farfalle
- 1 tbs olive oil
- Italian Vinaigrette:
- 1/2 tbs Dijon-style mustard
- 2 tbs white wine (tarragon) vinegar
- 1 tbs lemon juice
- 5 tbs salad olive oil
- 1 tsp snipped fresh chives substitute 1/2 tsp dried
- 1 tsp chopped fresh oregano substitute 1/2 tsp dried
- 1 tsp chopped fresh basil substitute 1/2 tsp dried
- 1 tsp chopped fresh parsley substitute 1/2 tsp dried
Instructions:
- Cut salami in half or into quarters.
- Peel and quarter the onion, then slice thinly.
- Clean mushrooms and slice.
- Cut olives in halves or thirds.
- Put salami, mushrooms, onions and olives into bowl and add vinaigrette. Allow to marinate, at room temperature, for 1 - 3 hours.
- Cook pasta according to package instructions.
- When done, drain, put into a large bowl (or back into the cooled pot) and toss with olive oil.
- Slice celery 1/4" (.5cm) thick, cut cherry tomatoes in half, and chop pepper.
- Add all three to pasta and toss lightly.
- Before serving add marinated vegetables to pasta and toss to combine.
- If not serving immediately, refrigerate to chill.
- Italian Vinaigrette:
- Place mustard, vinegar and lemon juice in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
- Slow add olive oil, whisking constantly, to combine.
- When all oil is in and emulsified, add herbs.