The Kitchen's Pasta Salad

Image courtesy of Creative Commons

We had several volunteers at the yesterday's Volunteer Appreciation Barbeque ask for this recipe. As promised, here it is... 

We invite you to make this pasta salad your own. Pump up the amount of chopped vegetables you use (we did!!). Take a look around the garden so see what would fit in nicely. Switch it up by using a little basil or a little dill from time to time. In the winter time, thawed frozen peas would work well. 

You may also choose to add some protein sources to this -- shredded chicken, diced ham, drained and rinsed chickpeas or black beans would all work well in this.

It's a recipe that keeps well in the fridge so make it the day before your event and give yourself more time to relax and enjoy...

Ingredients: 

3 cups dry pasta -- we used fusilli
1/2 medium onion, diced finely, about 1/2 cup
2 tomatoes chopped -- about a cup
1/2 green pepper, finely diced, about 1/4 cup
1 cucumber (seeded if necessary), chopped
3/4 cup celery, diced finely

Dressing:
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 c vegetable oil
1/3 c ketchup
1/3 c vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp paprika

Directions: 

1. Cook pasta is a large quantity of boiling water until tender but not mushy-- al dente as they say in Italy.
2. Drain and rinse pasta and set to cool. 
3. In a large bowl, mix sugar, oil, ketchup, vinegar, salt, pepper and paprika until thoroughly mixed. 
4. Add cooled pasta to the dressing mix and stir until pasta is coated. 
5. Add chopped vegetables and stir. 
6. Keeps in the refrigerator 3 days; bring to room temperature before serving. Remix just before serving (dressing will settle to the bottom of the bowl).

French Salad Dressing

© 2007 Andy Melton, Flickr | CC-BY-SA | via Wylio

The term "French dressing" refers to different things in different countries. In Germany and Switzerland, it refers to a white dressing made with mayonnaise or cream. In England, it's an off-white dressing made from vinegar, oil, Dijon mustard and garlic and frequently various fresh herbs. In North America, it refers to a tomato based recipe that is slightly sweet to the taste.  We've cut the sugar in this recipe to suit our tastes but feel free to make it according to how your family likes it. That's the great thing about home made dressings over bottled ones -- you can customize them and they're a whole lot cheaper than commercial bottled ones.  

Ingredients: 

1 10 oz can of condensed tomato soup 

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

3 Tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil

3/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 

1 clove garlic minced or 1/4 teaspoon of powdered garlic (not garlic salt) 

pinch salt 

Directions: 

Put all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. If you prefer, you can put them all into a large measuring cup and process using a stick blender. Pour into a jar with a tight fitting lid. This stores in the refrigerator for a week. Shake well before using. 

Basic Vinaigrette Dressing

Image courtesy of Creative Commons 

By and large, commercial salad dressings are not the first choice here in the kitchen. The exception to this general rule is Caesar dressings.

This basic vinaigrette is a classic "go to" recipe that can be whipped up in minutes at a quarter of the price of bottled dressings.

For the ultimate in "minimal equipment" put all the ingredients in a jar (like a Mason jar) with a tight fitting lid and shake it vigourously until everything is combined. You'll have to re-shake it before serving as the oil will separate out. Also, if you use olive oil in any dressing, it will solidify at refrigerator temperatures. Just take out of the fridge for a few minutes to allow it to re-liquefy before serving.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• pepper to taste
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup olive oil 

Directions:

1. Whisk together the wine vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Gradually whisk in 1/3 to 1/2 cup of olive oil.
2. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 7 days in a tightly sealed bottle. Allow to return to room temperature before serving and shake to incorporate ingredients again. 

 

Maple Syrup Dressing

We pulled this recipe from a cookbook published by the New Brunswick Maple Syrup Association ... YUM, YUM!!! It's simple enough for everyday but fantastic enough for a special occasion.

Ingredients: 

2 Tablespoons maple syrup (30 ml)

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard (15 ml)

4 Tablespoons red wine vinegar (60 ml)

1/3 cup olive oil (75 ml)

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1 teaspoon fresh fine herbs (5 ml)

½ teaspoon sea salt (2.5 ml)

¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper (1.25 ml)

Directions:

1      Mix all ingredients together.

2      Let sit for one hour

3      Pour over your favourite salad. It’s particularly good on spinach salads.