Saturday Afternoon Recipes

Pasta Salad

I first had this delicious salad at a Cuban/American party. I’ve tweaked the recipe over the years, and it has become a common staple in our household. Add or take away ingredients to fit your taste. The beautiful thing about this recipe is that there are so many possibilities!

Ingredients:
Medium pasta shells
green, red, yellow bellpepper
scallions (one bunch)
tomatoes
olives (opptional)

Seasoning:
Your favorite Italian dressing

Cook the shells according to the package directions. They need to be firm, but yet
soft. A good way to tell is to try turning them inside out. If they still need to be cooked
they will all split immediately. But most package directions have the right amount
of cooking time. Once they are done cool them off in some cool water, drain them, and put them in the fridge.

While the shells are cooking and then cooling down cut up all your vegetables and
mix your seasoning. The main trick to this recipe is making sure the shells are nice
and cold, somehow it just tastes different if they are still warm. Mix shells and
vegetables together, and add half of the seasoning. If you are ready to serve it add
all of it, otherwise wait until right before serving to add the final half.

That’s it! It is so simple and with all those vegetables it will feed a lot of people!
I love this recipe, and it is good summer, winter, spring or fall!

Pita Crisps:
This is one of our favorite snacks. The Pitas give us a nice healthy carbohydrate, and
enough crunch to be an excellent substitute for chips or crackers. They go well with Pasta Salad, a nice salsa, chicken salad, or just by themselves! It is so easy to make these, and it takes hardly any time!

Ingredients:
Pita bread cut into triangels
Olive Oil
Salt, oregano, basil, Italian herb blend, paprika, pepper

*Note* Experiment with different herbs, but make sure you include the paprika, it really makes these crisps taste great!

Brush triangles with olive oil, then sprinkle herbs over all. Bake at 375 degress for 8 minutes until crisp and lightly brown.

*To get the most crisps out of a pack of pita bread, cut the pita in half, and then slice through the pocket so that half becomes two long half circles. Then cut those pieces into triangels.*

Recipes

I finally gave into my brother’s urging that I post recipes. I’m not sure I’ll make it a frequent occurrence, but I decided it would do for a Saturday post. This is a new recipe that I tried for our family Christmas dinner. Everyone seemed to love it, and I think we have made a new tradition!

Tuscan Panzanella

Ingredients:
8 oz. very dry unsalted Italian bread
Warm water for soaking bread (about a cup)
3-4 large ripe tomatoes, seeded and cut into cubes or wedges
3-4 fresh garlic cloves, chopped
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/3 to 1/2 c. fresh basil, coarsely chopped
1/3 c. Extra Virgin olive oil
2 T. red wine vinegar
salt and pepper

To prepare:
Break the bread into pieces and put into a bowl. Cover with the warm water. Soak the bread for a few minutes until softened, then squeeze dry with your hands, and crumble into a serving bowl or onto a deep platter.

Arrange the tomatoes, onions, garlic, and basil over the top of the bread. In a separate small bowl, combine olive oil, vinegar, and salt. Whisk and pour over the salad. Season with additional salt and pepper if desired, and serve.

Note: For a perfect Tuscan Panzanella, the bread must be unsalted and very dry. This recipe can be savored within minutes of being dressed, unlike the American toasted crouton version which has to marinade for an hour.

PS- Make sure you do not wet the bread too much, or leave it too soggy. Our family all agreed it could have been a tad less ‘mushy.’

To check out more vegetarian recipes, mainly Italian style, check out

www.delicioustv.com