One of the most memorable gifts I've received as a mom was a SALAD! When I gave birth to my third daughter, my friends put together a meal train for me, and one of the ladies brought over this beautiful pasta salad with bread. At first glance, it certainly wasn't as impressive as some of the other meals I'd received that week, and there was no meat to be found. But who was I to complain?
Well well well... the joke was on me, because that salad was so scrumptious I was calling up Casey within days to find out the recipe. It was so good. At the time, besides my newborn, I had a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old, and they both loved the salad just as much as I did.
This pasta is full of crunchy, healthful veggies, plus it has a light lemon-based dressing that gives it a wonderful kick. The best part - the olives! They're rich and meaty + fruity-tasting and adds great flavor to the dish as a whole. I don't use kalamata olives for anything else, so when I bring them home from the store, my family gets excited because they know what's about to go down.
By the way, Tunisia is a country in the northernmost part of Africa, so it's bordered by the Mediterranean Sea, which makes sense, because "Mediterranean" is totally the flavor palette here.
I love baking homemade foccacia to go along with our pasta. And when I remember to, I pick up the Central Market Italian Soda (peach bellini is my flavor of choice) to go with it. The whole meal is simply elegant and delicious!
The recipe is below. Please note that half the time I make it, I add mini pepperoni to mine.
OPTIONS:
- Substitute the pasta for a salad mix.
- Add banana peppers and feta cheese.
- Replace the pepperoni with grilled shrimp, or leave out the meat entirely.
- Double the recipe. You'll be glad you did.
- If you're not feeling up to squeezing fresh lemon juice, try half fresh squeezed and half from the concentrated bottle.
8 ounces quality large farfalle bow tie pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin
1⁄8 teaspoon pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper
salt, to taste
1 cup cucumber, seeded and finely diced
1⁄2 cup kalamata olive, pitted and coarsely chopped
2 green onions, sliced thinly
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 lb cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 yellow bell pepper, sliced
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
mini pepperoni
1. Cook the pasta in boiling water with 1 tbsp salt until al dente. Drain and run cold water over it. Drain.
2. For dressing: Mix oil, lemon juice, cumin, peppers, garlic, and salt to taste.
3. Add cucumber, olives, scallions, tomatoes, bell pepper, and parsley to pasta. Throw in mini pepperoni if you'd like! Add in dressing and toss well.
4. Serve at room temperature or chill and serve cold.
