Pasta Salad #91? What is Pasta Salad #91?
I needed a name for it. I didn't have a name. I couldn't think of a name. This year, April 1st, the day I made, and we ate, this pasta salad, is the 91st day of the year, so Pasta Salad #91.
- 1 LB Bow Tie (Farfalle) Pasta
- 1 LB Broccoli Florets
- ¼ C (drained) Kalamata Olives, each olive quartered + 1 TBSP brine
- 8 - 9 oz Roasted Chicken, skinned, boned, and chopped
- 2 Red Bell Peppers, grilled or roasted (I do this on my indoor grill or in the oven), peeled, (I cover the hot peppers while they are cooling so they will be easier to peel, but if you can’t peel them, don’t worry about it), and sliced into half strips.
- 8 oz Mozzarella Cheese, diced
- 1 TBSP Italian Seasoning
- ½ tsp Crushed Red Pepper (flakes)
- ⅔ C Olive Oil
- ⅓ C Red Wine Vinegar
Boil pasta according to package directions or your desires. When it reaches “almost, but not quite done” add the broccoli. Just so that the broccoli can be bright and crunchy, but not completely raw. Once the broccoli and the pasta are finished, drain the pasta and the broccoli immediately and rinse with cold water to cool them.
Toss the brine with pasta and the broccoli. It helps the pasta not to stick together and it adds a complimentary flavor to the salad.
Add the pasta, broccoli, olives, chicken, bell pepper, cheese, seasoning and pepper to a large mixing bowl that can also double as a serving bowl.
Shake the oil and vinegar together in a jar with a lid (a clean re-purposed jar is fine).
Add half of the mixture in the jar to the bowl. Toss. Repeat if necessary or desired.
Serves 4, or more, as a dinner.
Ate on 4/01/2011 (but it’s not a joke).
Edited shortly after posting, because the intro bored me, and if it bored me, who could bear to read it?
