Chapter 06 · Bring Your Own Carbs
Italian Deli Pasta Salad
Every cookout has one. This is the one people ask about.
- Time
- 20 MIN
- Serves
- 4 (4 CUPS COOKED PASTA)
- Skill
- PARING KNIFE
- Tools
- KNIFE, BOARD, BOWL
- Heat
- Warm
- Protein
- Bring your own
The pasta salad from the deli counter, made with better ingredients: salami, provolone, tomatoes, peppers, olives and pepperoncini in a sharp Italian dressing. The rule for a good one is to cut everything to the size of the pasta, so no forkful is all noodle. Dress it generously. Cold pasta drinks dressing.
The lineup
- 1/2 cup Creamy Italian or Red Wine Vinaigrette (The Dressing Room), or store-bought Italian dressing
- 4 cups cooked short pasta, such as rotini, cold
- 4 oz Genoa salami, diced
- 4 oz provolone, diced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 bell pepper, any color, diced
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1/4 cup pitted black or kalamata olives, halved
- 1/4 cup jarred pepperoncini slices, drained
- 1 handful fresh basil or parsley, chopped
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan
- Salt and pepper
The chop
- Put two thirds of the dressing in the bottom of the bowl.
- Add the pasta and toss until coated.
- Add the salami, provolone, tomatoes, pepper, shallot, olives and pepperoncini. Toss.
- Add the herbs and parmesan. Toss again.
- Taste. Add the rest of the dressing, salt and pepper as needed.
The extras
Dodge the Carbs
Swap the pasta for a can of drained hearts of palm noodles, or for 2 zucchini peeled into ribbons. Everything else stays the same.
Future You
Keeps 3 days in the fridge. It will need a splash more dressing on day two.
Show Off
Swap the provolone for small fresh mozzarella balls and add marinated artichoke hearts.
Flavor Bomb
Add 1/4 cup of Chicago-Style Giardiniera Relish and 2 oz of capicola, or whisk 1 tbsp of 'nduja into the dressing.
Heat Dial
Mild: swap the pepperoncini for roasted red peppers. Warm: as written. Hot: hot giardiniera and 1 tsp of Calabrian chili paste.
