Recipe: Italian Pasta Salad

by Christopher Reardon

In these wintry months I start to long for some of my favorite summer foods: grilled hot dogs, ice cream, and of course pasta salad. This is an incredibly easy and delicious dish that is a great accompaniment to any meal, even in these shivery times. The dish is based on yet another of my inventions at work, which is a traditional tossed salad topped with Italian cold cuts and balsamic vinaigrette. Here's a hint: if you don't want to buy separate packages of meat and cheese, just go to your local sub shop and order a couple Italian subs with provolone cheese. Just keep in mind that every restaurant uses a different combination of cold cuts in their sandwiches. I hope you enjoy!

You'll need:

2 boxes penne pasta, prepared al dente according to box instructions
6 slices mortadella
6 slices capicola ham
6 slices genoa salami
6 slices pepperoni
8 slices provolone cheese
1/2 cup julienned green bell pepper
1/2 cup julienned red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/3 cup sliced olives (green or black - your preference)
1/2 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
1 or 2 tablespoons red pepper flakes
1 cup balsamic vinaigrette (see below)
salt and pepper to taste

This is really simple. Just cut all the cold cuts and the cheese up into roughly half-inch pieces, throw all the ingredients into a big bowl and gently stir it all together until everything is evenly coated with the vinaigrette. If you can stand it, let the salad sit in the fridge or at room temperature for a couple hours before eating it. This way all the flavors will meld very nicely and the dish will be that much better for it.

Note: Balsamic vinaigrette is readily available bottled in the grocery store, but in case you're a traditionalist and you want to make you're own, I got this recipe for you from FoodNetwork.com:

"1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar, optional*
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup olive oil...

...Beat the vinegar in a bowl with the optional sugar, garlic, salt and pepper until sugar and salt dissolves. Then beat in the oil by droplets, whisking constantly. (Or place all the ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake to combine.) Taste and adjust the seasonings...

If not using dressing right away, cover and refrigerate, whisking or shaking again before use.

*If using a good quality balsamic vinegar you should not need the sugar, but if using a lesser quality you might want the sugar to round out the dressing."