Cooking has been left aside while the sun shines in the Northwest but I did manage to cook a couple of "publishers" as Alison calls the "Ready for Prime Time" recipes
I have been making this salad for over 30 years, with some modifications. It was one of the backbones of my catering business in Seattle in the 80’s. Even people who turned up their noses at pasta salads loved this version. I just saw it ‘discovered’ by Cook’s Illustrated this month. It is nice to know that they love their recipe as much as my family loves ours. You can try this word for word or customize it to your family’s definition of what has to be in antipasto. The recipe below is the smallest quantity I have ever made and it feels strange not to be feeding masses with it but this serves 4-6 easily.
PESTO ANTIPASTO PASTA SALAD
INGREDIENTS:
12 ounce package of gluten free pasta (penne, elbow, etc.) (We just made this yesterday with Bionature gluten free which is a combination of rice, potato and soy flours and it holds it shape well)
1 tablespoon salt
6 ounces (10 to 12) 1 – 1 ½ inch mushrooms, quartered
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons of prepared pesto sauce
2-3 ounces sliced salami (or cubed in ¼ inch pieces if you have a whole tube)
6 ounces mozzarella, provolone or jack (can be sliced or cubed in ¼ inch pieces)
8 ounces sugar plum or cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
¼ cup capers
¼ cup diced red bell pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion (green, shallots or any kind of mild onion)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
salt
Optional:
1 small jar diced artichoke hearts and/or
¼ cup sliced cornichons and/or
¼ cup chopped pepperocini or mild pickled pepper (packed by Peter Piper) and/or
¼ cup chopped fresh basil when in season
INSTRUCTIONS:
Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil with 1 tablespoon salt in a large pot. Pour in the dried pasta, stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a strong simmer and cook according to the package directions until the pasta is al dente. While the pasta is cooking heat in a medium frying pan over medium heat I tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar and 2 tablespoons pesto. Add the quartered mushrooms and fry for about 5 minutes, gently until the mushrooms are done. Set aside. When the pasta is ready drain it and transfer it to a large bowl, do not rinse in cold water. Add the cooked mushrooms and cooking juices and toss until coated. Place it in the refrigerator (or if you live in the Northwest just put it in your garage for a half an hour) to cool. While it is cooling place the salami slices on a paper towel on a microwave safe plate, cover with another layer of paper towel. Microwave the salami for 45 seconds to remove some of the fat before it goes into the salad. This process does not affect the flavor. Slice the salami into strips and set it aside to cool. When the pasta has cooled add another 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar and then all the prepared ingredients and toss well. Adjust the salt to taste. Because pastas vary in how much liquid they can absorb, taste the pasta and if it is too dry add more olive oil and vinegar or if you like a stronger pesto flavor you can add more pesto but make sure you melt it a bit (20 seconds in the microwave) to insure that it will coat the cool pasta.
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Last year this became a favorite at camp. We had both gluten free and wheat based Chexs in our Bearskin pantry and in desperation for a new snack made this for the people with gluten issues. It was such a success that the rest of camp began pilfering the gluten free leftovers and we decided to make it for the parents for a Coffee Talk treat. It was a surprise hit. Many of the parents had never had it before and more moms asked for this recipe than any other (except for cheesecake) dessert. So here it is. The actual recipe is on the back of some, but not all, Chex boxes. It along with other gluten free recipes can be accessed at http://www.chex.com/Recipes/GlutenFree.aspx I have put a modified-for-size version first because it is so good we really don’t want 9 cups of the sweet stuff in the house so we halve the box recipe but I have put the full recipe amounts in parenthesis. (Just to let you know a ½ cup serving is 2 carbs and 210 calories so it really is an occasional snack.) Of course, for camp we make it 3-5 boxes at a time.
Muddy Buddies or Puppy Chow
4½ cups corn or rice chex cereal (9 cups)
¼ cup butter (1/2 cup)
¼ cup peanut butter (1/2 cup)
½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips (1 cup)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract (1 teaspoon)
¾ cup powdered sugar (1 ½ cups)
1 gallon plastic bag (2 gallon bag)
In the microwave melt the butter, peanut butter and chocolate chips together in a microwave safe container for 30 seconds to a minute or until al the ingredients are melted. Add the vanilla and stir. Pour the chex into a large bowl and quickly pour the melted ingredients over them. Stir carefully with a wooden spoon or spatula so that the individual chex are coated but not broken. Scrape the mixture into a gallon plastic bag and add the powdered sugar. Close the bag and gently shake until all the chex are evenly powdered with the sugar. You can cool the treats on a parchment or waxed paper coated cookie sheet, this also helps to separate the chex that are melted together. Store whatever remains in the bag. It does stay good in the bag for a while. We only found this out because the bag got lost in the pantry. Usually it does not make the one-day-leftover mark.
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