[Nfb-krafters-korner] one more recipe

[Nella Foster]

Bernice sent this pasta salad and it looks like it could feed an army.  I
might try it for the next family reunion.

 

Large pasta salad

 

1 lb spirals, cork screws, rotini or by pasta other names

8 to 12 ounces sliced pepperoni

12 to 16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

½ each red, yellow, orange and green sweet bell peppers

½ of a large seedless cucumber

8 ounces grape tomatoes

1 small bunch fresh broccoli

2 large carrots

1/2 Vidalia or 1 medium red onion 

4 stalks celery

1 cup stuffed green or seeded black olives

½ cup each frozen corn and peas

 

Dressing

1 cup extra virgin Olive oil

1 cup red wine vinegar

1 cup balsamic vinegar

Juice from ½ lemon

2 tbsp Oregano

3 tbsp Parsley flakes

1 tbsp Rosemary

3 tbsp basil

1 tbsp chives

1 tsp black pepper

2 tsp salt

2 tsp Garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp savory

4 garlic cloves crushed

 

Instructions;

1.	Cook pasta in salted water with a little olive oil.  Drain and let
cool while preparing all of the other ingredients.
2.	Dice all peppers, onion, celery, and cucumber.
3.	Slice tomatoes in half.
4.	Peel carrots.  After all peel is off, keep using your vegetable
peeler to make thin strips of carrot.
5.	Cut broccoli flowerets into small pieces.
6.	   Peel and dice cucumber
7.	Make a stack of the pepperoni slices.  Cut the stack into quarters.
Repeat until all pepperoni is cut into little wedges.
8.	Cut olives in half if desired.  You can also by a jar of already
sliced green olives.  If using them, drain.
9.	Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, and add enough dressing to make
the mixture wet with a little dressing standing.
10.	For the dressing, make the day before.  Add all ingredients together
and shake or stir vigorously.  Refrigerate dressing over night and mix well
before pouring over salad.
11.	If you think you will have left overs or if you make it a day ahead,
make extra dressing because the macaroni absorbs the dressing.  Of course,
this only makes it more flavorful.

 

This makes a very large bowl of salad, and could be cut down a great deal.

 

You can add any fresh or cooked vegetables to the salad you want.  You could
add zucchini or yellow summer squash, but I don’t happen to like them.
Mushrooms would be good also.  Sweet pickle relish would give a slightly
sweet zing to the salad.  You could substitute diced chicken for the
pepperoni.  You could also use an Italian blend of cheeses instead of
mozzarella cheese.

 

If you don’t want to make your own dressing, you could use your favorite
Bottled Italian dressing.