This tried and true Pasta Recipe was adopted by our family, and we are “told” to make it for several family occasions. It’s now a main dish but is actually based on Grandma’s recipe, a side dish which she made for picnics to the wonderful Chicago Forest Preserves and to Humboldt Park. Somewhere in all of that there was the North Branch of the Des Plaines River – you could go down the green banks to the river.
Humboldt Park at that time had a Boat House with large squared-off green dinghies which were for rent to row on the adjoining lake. It also had a Rose Garden with beautiful large Asian green urns which had pink roses climbing up them, as well as a long curved arbor at the end. The arbor had benches where Grandma like to sit in the shade, and in back of it, there was a gurgling brook. The Forest Preserves, many of which are now surrounded by the city, were green and had water pumps and picnic tables.
The Antipasto we make has also has become rather “regular”, and though we first served the different parts individually, I recently used an olive muffaleta dressing which I made into a mixed salad. This dressing is used on focaccia with Italian lunchmeats in New Orleans. Italian stonemasons and iron worker came to do the work and brought some of their foods with them. It was easy to put together and prepare the night before. These are tried and true recipes.
Pasta Salad (Forever and Updated):
4 cups (one pound) of Rotini pasta, broken into ½” pieces (originally I used elbows or shells) -cooked al dente and cooled. 1 cup of green sweet peppers, diced l/2” 1 cup of cucumber, seeded and diced 1/2” 1/4 cup onion diced fine 1 cup muenster cheese, diced about 1” 1/2 cup toasted almonds 2 Tablespoons of Pesto – or 4 Tablespoons of finely shredded basil, added last 2 cans deveined medium shrimp (broken deveined okay) remove any remaining veins /drain/ chill/ and put the shrimp and almonds on top of the salad. Add half of this dressing last: 1-1/3 cup sour cream mixed with 2/3 cup mayonnaise. Add the other half of dressing just before serving and mix in with the almonds and shrimp.
We use Breakstone’s reduced fat sour cream, Hellman’s mayonnaise, and Hannah likes to use the tri-colored Rotini now available.
Muffalette Olive Dressing/Salad:
1/4 cup roast red peppers, drained/ w/o vinegar if in jar/ 1” + diced 1/4 cup pitted black olives 1/4 cup pitted green olives (these can be filled with pimento/ red pepper two or three anchovies minced or sliced small/ canned in oil or salt (drain oil or wash off salt) And I added a half package of frozen artichoke hearts sauteed just to tender /cut smaller if nec plus 1 teaspoon capers and 2 ounces cubed white cheese, if des. 1 teaspoon chopped fresh flat leaf parsley 1/4 teaspoon dry thyme 1/2 teaspoon dry oregano juice from half a lemon 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar Combine and refrigerate.
At The American Table – Copyright Laura Nobilis
attheamericantable
At The American Table 