Cold Pasta Salad

This is definitely one of my go to Dishes. About a couple months back P suggested a picnic. And boy was I thrilled! I made a lot of stuff, Packed it, got a bag for trash, a nonsensical book, and I was ready! We sat in a bamboo grove, talked, ate, read, relaxed. Until the monkeys came. I think they liked the pasta too :) else it would have been pretty insulting!

This is something that can be whipped up in 10 minutes flat whether I am making it for 3 people or 30. Definitely my go to dish. With a slice of cheesy whole wheat or rye toast, I think it can pretty much make a complete meal.

You will need

1 handful of mini pasta per person (I'm making this dish to serve 2-3)

1 medium sized carrot, chopped into small bits

1 small handful fresh or frozen green peas

1 small handful fresh or frozen sweet corn

6 medium sized French beans, chopped into small pieces

15 large red grapes or 15 ripe small strawberries, quartered

1 handful chopped black olives

2 pinches dried parsley or one teaspoon fresh parsley

2 pinches dried oregano or one teaspoon fresh oregano

2 pinches dried basil or one teaspoon fresh basil

1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint

juice of 1 lime

1 or 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1 or 2 teaspoons cheese powder

salt to taste.

Method:

Boil the pasta al dente, run cold water over it and keep aside (the baby pasta I get here takes me 7 minutes to cook. Just for the white backdrop and color riot, I stick to durum wheat pasta but whole wheat pasta is definitely a healthier option)

Blanch/parboil the vegetables and keep aside.

Mix the pasta, cooked vegetables, fruit (in the interest of both taste and color, these two fruits work the best), and olives.

Add the herbs, salt, olive oil, lemon juice, and stir.

Refrigerate if preferred at a lower temperature. If refrigerating, add lime juice just before serving.

Add cheese powder also just before serving.

Serve on its own or with cheese toasts.

Panzanella

A very light Italian salad. Okay, okay. I admit this is not the actual original recipe. I have played around with it in terms of dressing. I personally like crispy ingredients staying crispy, and I have substituted the original light, lemony dressing with a heavier but smoother mixed oil dressing.

It makes for a great summer salad, light on the stomach, and fun on the tastebuds.

Ingredients:
1) 1 cup bread slices (cut into small pieces and dried till crisp in a microwave, or in the sun - NO toast, PLEASE!!!)
2) 1/4 of a cucumber, diced into small cubes
3) One large tomato, diced
4) 1/4 green bell pepper (optional yellow, but avoid red, it could get too "sweet" for the salad)
5)a bit of Iceberg lettuce or salad greens
6) 2 teaspoons chopped parsley
7) 1/2 a cored green apple (optional)
8) 1/2 cup fresh pineapple - diced (optional)
9) 1/4 cup walnuts - optional

Dressing Ingredients:
1)1 tablespoon Olive Oil
2) 1 tablespoon sesame oil
3) 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
4) 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger (I prefer Thai ginger here)
5) 1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
6) sea salt
7) A pinch white pepper (optional)
8) 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (optional) (But I personally LOVE this option... especially if you are using herbed bread, balsamic gives a very nice edge)

Method:
1)In a large bowl, combine all the salad ingredients (or whatever you are using)
2) In a separate bowl, mix up all the dressing ingredients
3) Pour over salad and toss.

Footnote:
1) The original recipe calls for only olive oil, lemon juice, and eliminates the ginger. The authentic Italian recipe uses stale foccacia, and the sour-ish taste of the foccacia clashes with the ginger. I personally prefer to get my zest with the lemon rind, so that the lemon juice does not soak into the bread and make the pieces soggy.
2) An all-fruit panzanalla tastes divine. Watch the space. :)