Dairy Hollow House Pasta Salad

This recipe is of the "more is more" school -- more herbs, more vegetables, and more garlic make this more delicious. It's very flavorful and colorful, yet has pasta's comforting plainness. With chunks of cheese and chickpeas added, it is a full meal. One thing it is not "more of" is dressing. Too much oil drowns out flavor; just a bit enhances it. In a pasta salad, especially, excess dressing is greasy. This pasta salad is lightly, tastefully dressed. You can use fewer vegetables than those listed here, or cut back on the fancy stuff if you like. It's good with just the seasonings and a few vegetables. But doing the whole number is not hard; despite the long list of ingredients, it goes together in a flash. You can prepare the pasta and seasonings, then, when that's well underway, the vegetables. Finally you toss all together with the finishes. Necessarily, this recipe yields a large quantity -- it takes a lot of pasta to balance all the other ingredients that make the salad so lucious.

Type: Pasta, Vegetables
Courses: Salads
Serves: 10 people

Recipe Ingredients

		Vegetables
4		Carrots - scrubbed or peeled
1		Zucchini - scrubbed
1		Broccoli
1/4		Cauliflower head
10 oz	284g	Frozen peas - (1 pkg)
1 cup	62g / 2.2oz	Cherry tomatoes, preferably red and yellow - stemmed
2		Red bell peppers - seeded and diced
2		Green bell peppers - seeded and diced
		Pasta and Dressing
		Salt - as needed
2 lbs	908g / 32oz	Sturdy-shaped pasta - see * Note
		Marinade from 1 jar artichoke hearts - see FINISHES list
4 tablespoons	60ml	Olive oil - to 6 tablespoons
3 tablespoons	45ml	Red wine vinegar - or more to taste
1		Lemon, juice only
6		Garlic cloves - peeled
1/4 cup	10g / 0.4oz	Chopped fresh basil leaves
		(or 2 teaspoons dried basil)
1/4 cup	36g / 1.3oz	Chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons	10ml	Dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon	0.6ml	Crumbled dried rosemary
		Black pepper, freshly ground - to taste
		Finishes
6 1/2 oz	184g	Marinated artichoke hearts - (1 jar) - marinade reserved
15		To 20 Kalamata olives - pitted - coarsely chopped
15 oz	426g	Chick-peas - (1 can) - drained well
12 oz	340g	Mozzarella or Fontina cheese - cut into 1/4" cubes
		(or other mild firm cheese)
6 oz	170g	Feta cheese - cut into 1/2" cubes or coarsely crumbled

Recipe Instructions

* Note: Pasta, such as bow ties, tubes, or curlicues (some can be spinach, tomato, carrot, and/or beet pasta).

Cut the carrots into 1-inch by 1/8-inch-square strips, blanch for 2 minutes, drain well; set aside.

Cut the zucchini into 1/2-inch cubes, blanch for 30 seconds, drain well; set aside.

Separate the broccoli into bite-sized flowerets with stems peeled and julienned, blanch for for 2 minutes, drain well; set aside.

Separate the cauliflower into small flowerets, blanch for 2 minutes, drain well; set aside.

Cook the frozen peas by pouring boiling water over them, drain well; set aside.

Fill your largest soup pot with water and bring it to a boil. Salt the water, add the pasta, and cook until tender but still firm to the bite.

Meanwhile, drain the marinade from the artichoke hearts into a food processor. Add the oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and herbs and process until smooth.

Drain the pasta well, cool under cold running water, and drain well again. Transfer the pasta to a large bowl, pour the dressing over it, and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Taste, and amend to your liking with additional olive oil, vinegar, or seasonings.

Add the blanched and fresh vegetables to the pasta and toss to combine.

To finish, coarsely chop the artichoke hearts and add with the olives; toss again. Taste for seasoning and chill.

Just before serving, add the chickpeas and cheeses. Toss to combine. This recipe serves 14 to 16 as a side dish or 10 to 12 as an entree.

Source:
DAIRY HOLLOW HOUSE SOUP & BREAD by Crescent Dragonwagon (c) 1992 - Workman Publishing, New York - 406 pages - $12.95 - As reprinted in the Mar/Apr, 1993 issue of Cookbook Digest

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