This recipe comes at the request of my Aunt Gemma. When I told her I had a food blog, she asked if I had a recipe for a base or sauce for macaroni salad, a simple American picnic dish. Well, I got to looking through my books and it just so happens I do! Only, let's face it, we have Italian roots and we know it so even the simplest American fare turns out with an Italian flare!
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| Check it out on Amazon! |
This recipe for Italian Summer Salad comes from The Great Weeknight Cookbook: 365 Sensationally Simple Dishes Ready in Just 30 Minutes from the editor's of Reader's Digest. I got this book as a gift, but hadn't prepared any of its recipes, so this was the perfect opportunity to test it out! It's a book filled with kitchen tips and great information on equipment and food storage, along with super easy recipes.
Ingredients:
- 8 oz dried pasta (penne, fusili, farfalle, etc. are good for salads)
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 crushed garlic clove (or 2 if you really like garlic!)
- 1 small bunch of fresh basil
- 7 oz red and yellow cherry tomatoes
- 5 oz fresh mozzarella
- 7 oz roasted red peppers
- Salt and pepper
Directions:
Bring a pot of water to boil and salt it liberally. Cook the pasta per the box instructions until al dente, generally 10 minutes will do the trick.
While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce. Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic, and finely chopped basil in a medium to large bowl.
To the side, halve the tomatoes, cube the mozzarella, and slice the roasted red peppers.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain it, and add it to the sauce while the pasta is still hot. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the tomatoes, mozzarella, and roasted red peppers to the pasta and toss it all together.
Ha finito! You're finished! This recipe really couldn't get any easier!
As always, pictures:
As always, pictures:
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| Pasta boiling (please, don't mind the mess) |
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| Tossing hot pasta with lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and basil |
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| Tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and mozzarella cheese |
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| Add the vegetables and cheese |
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| Book's picture |
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| My final dish! |
Some tips and suggestions:
-Wait until the water is boiling before adding salt. If you add salt before the water is boiling, it will take much longer!
-A tip about using raw garlic. When I'm not planning on cooking garlic, I like to crush it into a paste. To do this, rough chop the garlic and sprinkle it with salt. Use the blade of a knife on its side to get a broad surface and carefully, but firmly, push down on the garlic. Work your way back and forth across the garlic...think of the general motion that would happen if you were walking a dresser into place, if that makes sense. This will give you a coarse paste, or if you continue to go back and forth, a finer paste. You can, of course, use a microplane (zester) on the garlic to really juice the sucker, but I like the surprise of getting a spicy bite of garlic in my dish!
-Also, for a pretty touch, you can chiffonade your basil! To this, arrange your basil leaves in a single pile and then roll them length-wise. Use your knife to then cut the leaves thinly. You'll end up with ribbons of basil that add a punch of green and some fancy texture to your dish. Basil is pretty delicate, so I don't really like the idea of chopping it. Sounds pretty harsh, right? So, chiffonade instead.
-A tip about using raw garlic. When I'm not planning on cooking garlic, I like to crush it into a paste. To do this, rough chop the garlic and sprinkle it with salt. Use the blade of a knife on its side to get a broad surface and carefully, but firmly, push down on the garlic. Work your way back and forth across the garlic...think of the general motion that would happen if you were walking a dresser into place, if that makes sense. This will give you a coarse paste, or if you continue to go back and forth, a finer paste. You can, of course, use a microplane (zester) on the garlic to really juice the sucker, but I like the surprise of getting a spicy bite of garlic in my dish!
-Also, for a pretty touch, you can chiffonade your basil! To this, arrange your basil leaves in a single pile and then roll them length-wise. Use your knife to then cut the leaves thinly. You'll end up with ribbons of basil that add a punch of green and some fancy texture to your dish. Basil is pretty delicate, so I don't really like the idea of chopping it. Sounds pretty harsh, right? So, chiffonade instead.
-If you can't find red and yellow cherry tomatoes, just use red. Or you can substitute red grape tomatoes like I did since that's what I had in the house.
-Bagged, shredded mozzarella would work fine, as well, but pre-grated or shredded cheese is typical more expensive than buying it whole!
I hope you enjoy this super simple, but tasty pasta salad! Tomato, basil, and mozzarella are a typical Italian combination, but don't be afraid to mix it up with other veggies and herbs, or even chicken or some Italian deli meats like fresh pepperoni!
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