"Kris" > wrote in message
...
> Good evening all,
>
> I have to bring a pasta salad to a group picnic, and am feeling a bit
> tired of my standby, pesto tortellini salad with chicken and grape
> tomatoes. (Hopefully this feeling will pass, as I love this salad).
> It made me wonder what other cooks make regularly...
>
> I'm a viniagrette dressing person, as opposed to mayo-based. I may
> make a lemon orzo salad, come to think of it. Or a peasant-style Greek
> salad with cucumber, tomato and red onion with feta.
>
> What do you guys like?
>
> Many thanks for any inspiration that comes forth,
> Kris

See below:

Dimitri


There is no correct recipe for pasta salad. Pasta salad is one of the most
versatile and delicious salads, and it can be prepared with a wide variety
or ingredients. It can be Italian or Mexican in flavor. This is a great
opportunity to be creative. The important issues here are color, contrast,
texture and taste.

Preparation is involved in 4 steps:

1. CUTTING THE VEGETABLES
2. COOKING THE PASTA
3. MAKING THE DRESSING
4. FINAL ASSEMBLY


There are several methods and/or theories. The first theory is that the
pasta and vegetables should be cold and mixed cold and then dressed. This
method will keep the pasta and the vegetables crisp. The second method is
to mix all of the ingredients hot. Although this will tend to make the
pasta a little mushy, it will slightly cook the other ingredients and it
will soften their flavors.

Here's some of the things you can put into pasta salad:
pasta, Italian dressing, olive oil, red wine vinegar, red wine, white wine,
yellow onions, red onions, green onions, carrots, broccoli, Roma or other
tomatoes, mushrooms, radishes, cauliflower, celery, garlic, green peppers,
yellow peppers, red peppers, zucchini, Italian or curly parsley, basil,
fresh or ground oregano (the dried oregano fakes are not suitable.)
Pepperocini, salami, green or black olives, provolone cheese, parmesan
cheese, the kitchen sink, pine nuts, pesto, green beans, garbanzo beans, an
old kitchen towel, any kind of old leftover meat or cheese, salt and
pepper.......IT DOESN'T MATTER!

THIS IS AN AREA WHERE YOU DON'T NEED MEASUREMENTS. Most recipes call for
exact measurements, that's bologna. This is a case where you use the whole
onion, not a half a cup. Your only choice is what kind to use, not how
much.

BIG BATCH OF PASTA SALAD FOR THE HERD

Use the following: 2 pounds of mixed pasta (break the spaghetti into small
pieces if you are using spaghetti), 1 red onion, 1 yellow onion, 1 green
pepper, 1 red pepper, 10 to 20 pepperocini' sliced, 10 to 20 green or black
olives sliced, the flowers from 1 stock of broccoli or 1 (16 Oz.) package of
frozen mixed broccoli and cauliflower or Italian vegetables, 2 to 4 cloves
of crushed garlic, 2 ribs of celery, ¼ pound of salami cut into strips, ¼
pound of provolone cheese, 1 small zucchini, 1 cup of fresh grated parmesan
cheese, ½ to ¾ cup red vine vinegar, 1 cup of red or white wine, ½ cup of
sugar, ¼ teaspoon ground oregano, 1/8 cup or 1 small stalk with leaves of
fresh basil, 1 to 2 teaspoons salt, ½ to 1 teaspoon pepper, 1 to 1 ½ cups
of olive oil.

Here is my preferred method. Get a very large bowl and a large pot for
boiling the pasta. Fill the pasta pot with lightly salted water and a few
bay leaves, and start the pasta pot boiling. Select 1/8 to ¼ pound total
weight of mixed pasta shapes per person.
As the water is heating, wash and cut the vegetables into a shape compatible
with the pasta. If you are going to use spaghetti then cut all the
vegetables into this strips, if you are going to use penne pasta and wheels
or corkscrews, then use small squares of vegetables. If you are using
peppers then cut a few wheels of peppers to use as a garnish for the top.
Set aside any garnish like the peppers and a few onion rings.

Place all of the cut vegetables into the large bowl. Add the herbs, olives,
salt, pepper, reserving the parmesan cheese and the meat. Add the red wine
vinegar, wine and olive oil. Essentially you are going to make a very
chunky salad dressing in the large bowl.
About ½ way through the chopping and cutting the pasta water should be
ready. Add the pasta, stir once or twice to make sure the pasta doesn't
stick and continue to chop the vegetables.

Ideally you would add the different shapes to the pasta pot at different
times to make sure that all the shapes are cooked to the same degree. That's
insane. Add them all at once. If some are slightly underdone that's OK.
It will give the salad different textures. Cook the pasta to the al-dente
(to the teeth) stage. This is slightly undercooked. It's OK don't worry.
The dressing will soak in and soften the pasta slightly.

After the pasta is cooked drain and rinse the pasta. If you are using
frozen vegetables rinse in hot water, if you are using all fresh vegetables
then use cold water to cool the pasta lightly and rinse off the surface
starch.

Pour the pasta over the vegetables and dressing, and mix thoroughly with
your washed hands (they are the best tools). After it's thoroughly mixed,
add the salami strips, provolone cheese strips, and parmesan cheese and mix
again. Garnish with the pepper rings and add an olive to the center of each
ring. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before
serving.