Monday, April 28, 2008

Tortellini Salad Greek or Antipasto - your choice

This salad is actually something I came up with myself. It's more of an idea than a recipe, but I rarely create my own dishes; I usually adapt existing recipes. The dressing will make more than enough, but you can save the leftovers for a Greek (lettuce) salad or for remoistening leftover tortellini salad. I also make a antipasto variation with prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, olives, and whatever else looks good.

Greek Tortellini Salad

1 16 oz. package of cheese tortellini cooked, drained, and cooled you can use fresh tortellini if the grocery budget allows; you can also add more tortellini if cooking for a crowd
4 oz. crumbled feta cheese
1 package grape tomatoes, sliced in half
about 1/2 a red onion, chopped fine
about 1 cup of pepperoncini peppers, sliced and stems discarded
1 large cucumber, peeled, cut in half, and sliced - I like English cucumbers
about 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted

Mix the above together.

Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 lemons, juiced (1/4 cup of juice)
Salt and pepper to taste

Put the olive oil in a microwave safe bowl and add the garlic. Microwave for 30 seconds. Add lemon juice and whisk until dressing is emulsified (it should look opaque, not separated). Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add dressing a few tablespoons at a time to pasta salad until salad looks evenly dressed. Mix gently and chill.

Antipasto Variation
1 16 oz. package cheese tortellini, cooked and drained
4 oz. prosciutto (can also substitute pepperoni - a stick, chopped up, is best, but sliced is ok)
pepperoncini peppers, stems cut off
kalamata olives
chunk mozzarella cheese, cut into cubes
red onion, diced
sun-dried tomatoes or halved grape tomatoes
sliced roasted red peppers

Dressing:

1 large garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled
1 teaspoon dried orégano, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes, or to taste
1/2 cup olive oil

Whisk dressing until emulsified. The dressing will be opaque, and there will not be a separation of the oil and vinegar. Pour over all other ingredients mixed in large bowl. This keeps for several days.

2 comments:

Kristen said...

sounds yummy, bs!!! what's an english cucumber? one with bad teeth?

Stephanie Carnes said...

Ha! Look for a long seedless one with a dry sense of humor.