Mediterranean Pasta Salad: Repost

The following recipe was one of the original posts on my food blog, and it's one of my most requested recipes. Unfortunately, it no longer displays in the main window of the blog.

In recent weeks I've gotten emails from friends who were unable to locate it in the blog. So, I'm reposting it to bring it back into plain view. The original post follows.

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Over the years, I've developed or personalized many recipes. In fact, I've usually tried to develop at least one "thematic" recipe from the various places where I've lived over the years. Sometimes, that's meant that I merely found an excellent regional recipe and added it to my repertoire, but more often it meant that I started with something typical of a region and developed my own version.

The pasta salad recipe that follows is one of the all time "winners." I started with a pasta salad recipe from Jane Peterson's Anything but Plain Jane Cookbook. (Jane, a local librarian in the Tucson area, grew up in a catering family on the east coast. Her self-published cookbook has many excellent recipes from her catering background.) Starting with Jane's basic recipe, I punched up the flavors in several areas, and then I took the dressing in a whole new Southwestern direction with Chipotle peppers and fresh limes.

What follows is a recipe my daughters won't let me leave behind. I also developed a potato salad based on a modified version of the pasta salad dressing. I intend to publish that in another posting.

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Mediterranean Pasta Salad

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/8 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. coarse black pepper
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. minced garlic (two large cloves)
2 chipotle peppers (with a little of the adobo sauce if desired)
1 lb. medium pasta shells
Salt for pasta water
1 cup sliced black olives (or whole, pitted black olives, quartered)
5 or 6 sun dried tomatoes, soaked in water if necessary, blotted dry & cut into thin strips
3 or 4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 cups coarsely grated asiago cheese (or combination of asiago and freshly grated parmiggiano regianno)
5-6 oz. bag of fresh spinach, cleaned, stems removed and cut into chiffonade (baby spinach if available)
2 or 3 fresh limes


Combine oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, mustard, garlic, chipotles, and the juice of one lime in blender. Puree.

Cook pasta in salted water. Add to bowl with dressing and toss, adding sun dried tomatoes and olive slices. Let cool about 10 minutes. Add cheese. Toss well and let cool 10 minutes longer before adding fresh tomatoes and spinach. Add salt and coarse ground black pepper to taste. Cut the remaining limes into sections and serve on the side so people can accent their individual servings with lime.

This makes about 4 pounds or 16 side-dish servings.

Options:

-- To serve as a main dish, add one or two chicken breast halves, grilled or baked in a 350° F. oven for 25 minutes, cut into small cubes or strips.

-- Add other ingredients to taste such as diced avocado, diced red onion, toasted seeds and nuts, etc.

Roasted Red Pepper, Black Bean, & Corn Salsa

I PROMISED this recipe to a friend for the 4th of July, and then I FORGOT! Sigh. She was kind enough to remind me at the bbq--in front of everyone! Of course it was a good-natured tease.

BUT... Here ya go, Nancy. Now it's out there in black and white.

This salsa is a filling, delicious way to get your summer-time veggies. It has the added benefit to offer a complete protein profile since it combines corn and beans. With chips, it can provide the perfect cold supper for hot evenings.

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Roasted Red Pepper, Black Bean, & Corn Salsa


Yield: 6 cups

1 cup dried black beans, picked over and rinsed
2 teaspoons salt
1 large heavy sweet red pepper
1 1/2 cups thick tomato-based bottled hot salsa
1 1/2 cups corn kernels, canned or defrosted frozen, well drained
3 green onions, trimmed and sliced (about 1/2 cup)
1 cup bottled tomato based salsa (more or less)
1/2 cup minced cilantro

1. In a medium bowl, combine the beans with water to cover by at least 3 inches and let them soak overnight.
   

   
   

2. Drain the beans. In a medium saucepan, combine the beans with water to cover by at least 3 inches. Set over medium heat, bring to simmer, and cook, uncovered, stirring once or twice, for 30 minutes. Stir in the salt and cook another 20-30 minutes, or until just tender. Drain and cool them.
   

   
   

3. In the open flame of a gas burner or under a preheated broiler, roast the pepper, turning it often until the peel is charred. In a closed paper bag, or in a bowl covered with a plate, steam the pepper until cool. Rub away the charred peel, stem, and core the pepper, and cut the flesh into ¼ inch dice.
   

   
   

4. In a medium bowl, combine the beans, roasted red pepper, bottled salsa, corn, and green onions.
   

   
   

5. Add enough tomato based salsa to give the mixture a loose, salsa-like texture (the amount will depend on the thickness of the bottled salsa you have chosen). Stir in the cilantro. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Adjust the seasoning. The salsa can be prepared up to 2 days ahead.
   
   

Roasted Poblano Pepper Macaroni: 4th of July

The 4th of July is always a fun time to serve a dish that takes people's taste buds into new territories. Here is a bit of southwest comfort food that takes an old favorite into brand new directions for most of us.

I've served this dish in a number of settings including a ladies' luncheon that I cooked for a couple of years ago. With it's mix of sweet vegetables, spiciness of the poblano pepper, and savor of cheese, it's been a surprise favorite for many.

The only bad thing about taking it to this year's 4th of July bbq is that my kids would have preferred having leftovers!

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Roasted Poblano Pepper Macaroni

(makes 4-6 hearty servings)

1 tbs olive oil
¼ cup diced red bell pepper
½ cup sweet corn kernels
¼ cup diced red onion
2 tbs pressed or finely chopped garlic
2 cups cooked macaroni (1 cup dry)
6 poblano chiles, roasted, seeded, peeled, and pureed (about ¾ cup)
2/3 cup Monterey Jack cheese
½ cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Prepare Ahead: The poblanos can be roasted, wrapped, and refrigerated for up to 3 days. They also freeze well once roasted and peeled. The macaroni can be cooked up to 2 hours ahead, tossed with a tablespoon of vegetable oil to prevent drying, covered, and held at room temperature.

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the red bell pepper, corn, onion, and garlic; saute until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the macaroni, poblano puree, and cheese; stir until well blended. Fold in the heavy cream, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately, or keep warm until ready to serve.

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Variations: Whole milk or 2% can be substituted for the heavy cream for a less rich, everyday version.

To tone down the spiciness use fewer Poblanos or increase the cream and cheese. Pepper Jack Cheese can also be used to add a bit more spiciness.

Roasting the chiles… The easiest way I’ve found to roast the chiles is to put them on a gas grill. Roast them until the skins are uniformly blistered. Skins may be blackened, but be careful to not actually burn the chiles. Once the skins are blistered, put them in a covered container or ziploc bag to cool and steam and loosen the skins. They may also be roasted in the broiler in the bottom of a gas oven or on a gas burner on the stove top.

For a more robust flavor, the red bell pepper may also be roasted. When the red pepper is simply sauteed, it is milder and sweeter than when it is roasted.

n.b. I’m still searching for a little bit more crunchy and sweet in this recipe. I usually use a little bit more corn, onion, and red pepper than what I’ve listed above. The amounts there are bare minimums.