MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - PASTA SALAD WITH COOKED SHRIMP

 

This recipe comes from The New York Times at this link. There is also a YouTube here where you can watch Melissa Clark put it all together. I had saved an almost identical recipe where the link disappeared. I put a search of the title online and it sent me directly to this one. I enjoyed Melissa’s presentation and looked no further. It had the addition of cucumber which I did not add because I had bought all of the ingredients from the store, but it would have been a nice addition, and will have it next time. Gregg also went to Costco later and surprised me with more already cooked large shrimp, too good a deal to pass up he said and he loves shrimp. It was also a very nice addition but you obviously have to like shrimp. Easy enough to leave them off if you don’t. The salad itself was a stand-alone meal.

The dressing we made was also a little different but I will add the other recipe we used at the bottom of this one. You can choose which one you like best. After thinking blogger had resolved the problem with downloading after being able to do so earlier in the day, this evening I couldn’t - I will try again in the morning as I have one more photo I would like to upload (it worked).

Pasta Salad with Cooked Shrimp - Serves 8 to 10 people 

For the dressing:

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, plus more to taste

1 garlic, finely grated or minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling 

For the Pasta:

1 pound of short-cut pasta (I am assuming they meant what you buy dried in a box, not home-made - 

we used farfalle, the pretty butterfly shapes)

1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

8 ounces mozzarella, cubed (or use small mozzarella balls)

4 ounces sliced salami, cut into 1/4 inch ribbons

1/4 cup thinly sliced cucumber

3 tablespoons diced red onion 

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley and basil leaves

• 
  
  
  Combine vinegar, garlic, oregano and a big pinch of salt and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk in oil; taste and add more salt and pepper, or vinegar as needed. Set aside.
  
  
  Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until the pasta is al dente. Drain well, transfer to the large bowl and toss with the dressing while still warm. 
  
  
  Add tomatoes, mozzarella, salami, olives, cucumber and onion to the bowl and toss well; fold in the herbs. Taste and season with more salt, pepper and vinegar if needed to suit your own taste.
  
  
  Drizzle with olive oil and top with cracked black pepper just before serving.
  

  The following recipe is the actual version I tried and wrote things down before the link disappeared.  This is the version I made, slight variations to the above but as we used it, that’s the reason I put it on here.  

  
  

  Pasta Salad 

  1 pound rotini (I used farfalle) - 1/2 pound hard salami, large dice - 1/2 pound fontina, large dice (I used the mozzarella balls) - 1 small red onion, small dice - 2 cups arugula (not a big fan of arugula so I used mixed spring greens) - 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved - 1 cup kalimata olives, halved

   

  Red wine vinaigrette: 

  2/3 cup red wine vinegar - 2 cloves crushed garlic - 2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard - 2 teaspoons salt - 1 teaspoon black pepper - 1 teaspoon sugar - 2 cups vegetable oil (we used extra-Virgin olive oil and I feel it’s important to note that it made a great salad dressing but we didn’t want to pour it all over the salad for maximum saturation. We measured our individual portions of salad at the table and used just enough for our individual tastes). 

  To make the vinaigrette, put all the ingredients, except oil, and blend with a stick blender. We used a whisk. It also suggested you can use a regular blender to mix. Slowly add the oil allowing it to emulsify before adding more. 

  Mix all the salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss with dressing (see my comment in red above). 

  Apparently we are feeding an army again with this recipe. I suggested whittling down the ingredients but my dear other half is confident we can eat this in the next couple of days. Lots of leftovers! We felt on its own it is a total meal. It will be very nice to have something nutritious ready and waiting and not spending a lot of time in the kitchen. It is not as hot as it has been but still quite hot, with showers in the forecast. 

  

  
  

  I have added a few comments made by people on The New York Times recipe.

  
  

  “I make variations of this all the time. One thing I find useful: put half the dressing on the warm pasta then chill the salad a bit then add the rest before serving so that it doesn’t all absorb. It stays bright and the herbs and tomatoes don’t “cook” in the vinegar. I have also gilded the lily with a little balsamic and a sprinkle of parmesan right before serving. Delish.”

  
  

  “Artichoke hearts would be a good addition.”

  
  

  1. “I grated the garlic into the red wine vinegar and let it sit for an hour. Then I strained the garlic solids out and used the garlic infused red wine vinegar which was perfect.”

     
     

     
     

     
     

     Time to pack this machine up for the night. If you have any questions, let me know in the comment section and I will do my best to answer them. 

     
     

     Have a great week everyone and thanks for stopping by.