Yup, it’s way to hot to cook so here is a salad. 🙂 I’m calling this one Peas and Pearls Pasta Salad. Peas are self explanatory. Pearls because of the perlini mozzarella. you don’t need to use orecchiette pasta, however I think it looks cute when peas or perlini end up nestled inside them. Don’t have baby arugula? Baby spinach or even watercress would be good too.
It’s salad season — summer in New England! I love all sorts of salad and Caesar is no exception. The dressing is key — yes, anchovies and really good parm are key. This is only the recipe for the dressing, because I think most people can figure out romaine lettuce, croutons and in this case, grilled chicken. Yum!
Stromboli aren’t something that I make very often, but I should make them more. Like calzone, they are pretty versatile and you can make them with a slew of fillings. They can be eaten warm or at room temperature and I personally think that they are a great alternative to a sandwich on a picnic. I made these with a sourdough (had to feed Alice!) but you can make it with a yeast pizza dough or even a store bought dough.
This pasta salad is my standard, as far as pasta salads go. It’s very simple to put together and is pretty customizable. While I always add red onion, bell pepper, corn, pickles and peas, other optional items include lives, salami, cheese (usually sharp cheddar) and cherry tomatoes. If you’re vegetarian, leave out the salami and ham. If you are cheese-adverse, leave out the cheddar. If you don’t like cheddar, swap it out for gouda or harvarti or monterey jack. The recipe also works really well with gluten free pasta, in case you want or need to go down that route. Great for summer picnics!
If there is a “flavor profile” that I think of as “very American”, it is “Ranch” — every culture has one or a few signature flavors, and this one I think is pretty American. The packets that you can buy (like the Hidden Valley ones) are also a popular request item when I go to Germany. It’s actually not all that hard to make yourself — just got to get those ratios right — and this time, I decided to take my spice mixture to another level by adding tomato and chili powders. I know there may be some “Ranch Purists” out there that might not agree, but I think it is pretty darn good.