My friend Leah Facebooked me today to tell me she had made my Secret Weapon Vinaigrette and used it on a pasta salad using leftover bowtie pasta– demonstrating nicely what we are all about here at My Sister’s Kitchen: cooking “by ear”, experimenting with new and wonderful combinations, using what you have to create food that nurtures the people who eat it. This is a simple salad which you could easily make ahead in the morning or the night before; it also would make a very nice potluck/picnic offering. Leah tells me that my suggestion of bread for dipping in the vinaigrette has led her into temptation, and there is a loaf of bread coming out of her oven as we speak, ready to be served on the side. If she’s not careful, she’s liable to find my hungry family standing on her doorstep at dinner time!
Leah’s Pasta Salad
- One raw peeled carrot, sliced
- One tomato, seeded, chopped
- One orange pepper, chopped
- A couple stray slices red pepper, chopped
- Handful garden fresh basil, sliced
- 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- About half a box of mini bow tie pasta, cooked and drained
- One recipe Laura’s secret weapon viniagrette (using bottled minced garlic, no herbs)
Shake everything together in a confidently sealed plastic storage container. Try to convince yourself this makes 2 servings so you can eat half of it.
Note: You may not have basil on hand, or tomatoes, or whatever. This is one of those recipes that will work with liberal substitutions. Use Italian parsley instead, or some oregano, or some dried rosemary. Throw in some steamed broccoli, or some porcini mushrooms, or some quickly-sautéed summer squash. No chickpeas? Try a can of navy beans instead, or black beans. Want to add some meat? Try chunks of chicken, or shrimp, or a can of white tuna. Pasta salad is a great place to start experimenting with flavors.
