Sherrie's Italian Pasta Salad

This salad can be served as a side with a meal, but is hearty enough to be a meal by itself--really good in Summer when it is hot and you don't feel like cooking. You can, of course, omit the meat for a vegetarian version.

1/2 pound dry fusilli or rotini pasta

1 six-oz can whole black olives, sliced

8 or 9 whole green Spanish olives, sliced

1/3 cup or so pickled banana pepper slices, chopped

8 to 10 marinated artichoke pieces, sliced to bite-size

about one cup diced summer sausage or salami

1/2 of a medium red onion, peeled and roughly chopped

(see notes for additional suggestions / ingredients)

Vinaigrette Dressing:

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup red-wine vinegar

2 teaspoons Italian seasonings

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

4 or 5 dashes of Red's Hot Sauce

3 or 4 squirts of bottled Italian dressing with aged Romano

Cook the pasta in a large pot of generously-salted water about one minute more than the package directs--for cold pasta salads you really don't want "al dente." Drain pasta and rinse under cold water until no longer hot. Drain.

While the pasta is cooking and draining, slice and chop the other ingredients and place them in a large container. Add all vinaigrette ingredients into a glass jar with lid, and shake to combine.

Add drained pasta to the bowl, pour vinaigrette over and stir to combine. Although this can be eaten right away, it is best to let it marinate in the refrigerator for a while to let the flavors meld. It will keep in the refrigerator for several days to a week.

Notes:

This recipe is flexible and can include more vegetables, meats, cheeses, etc. as desired. Including the tomatoes and/or broccoli add a nice punch of color to this salad. Other suggested ingredients:

• Broccoli florets, cut into small bite-sized pieces (add them to the boiling pasta during the last couple of minutes to cook, then rinse them with cool water along with the pasta)
• Grape tomatoes, halved (these can be added with the other ingredients when making the salad, but halved ones tend to look a little sad if not served soon, so I prefer to add them right before serving. Of course you can put them in the salad whole, but they're tricky to stab with a fork)
• Fresh mozzarella or other cheese, cut into bite sized pieces, or grated (not the dry powdered stuff!) Parmesan or Romano cheese stirred into the salad
• Pickled Italian vegetables (giardiniera), but NOT pickles

  

  Aunt Peggy's Baby Shower 1946
  (She's in the mddle, with Mom right behind her;
  this salad would go well at a party like this!)

Cucumber-Pepper Salad

Mom used to make marinated cucumbers as an easy side-dish, but this updated version has a little more punch and nutrition with the addition of onion and red pepper.

Cucumber-Pepper Salad

Dad, August 1965
(about the time we moved to Sunnyside, WA)

3/4 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

1-1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp mustard seed 

(in a pinch you can just use prepared stone-ground mustard)

3 unpeeled “English” cucumbers

1/2 purple onion

1 red pepper, cored

Put vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and mustard seeds in a non-reactive pot and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool while you cut up the vegetables.

Slice the cucumbers into thin rounds. Slice the onion half and the pepper into strips (I generally cut them into shorter pieces for less messy eating). Place the vegetables into a bowl and mix, then pour the vinegar mixture over while it is still warm. Stir to mix and place in refrigerator until chilled. This can be stored in two quart-sized jars, if desired. It will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator.

Crab and Shrimp Pasta Salad

Unless you catch your own, crab is expensive. Adding it to this pasta salad is a good way to satisfy the craving without breaking the bank! The addition of the less expensive pink shrimp helps enhance the seafood flavor of this dish, which is one we sold sometimes at Mom's seafood market in Ocean Park.

Crab and Shrimp Pasta Salad

8 oz small seashell macaroni, uncooked

1 Tb vegetable oil

1 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup chili sauce

1/4 cup sour cream

1 Tb lemon juice

6 hard-cooked eggs, chopped (reserve 2 yolks for garnish, if desired)

1/2 pound fresh crab meat

1/2 pound fresh cooked shrimp (small pink "salad shrimp")

4 stalks celery, sliced

1/2 cup finely chopped white onion

optional: 1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain well and place in a large bowl. Add vegetable oil and toss gently to combine. Cover and chill thoroughly.

Combine mayonnaise, chili sauce, sour cream and lemon juice in small bowl; stir well. Set aside.

Add chopped eggs, crab, shrimp, celery, onion, plus red pepper (if desired) to chilled macaroni. Add sauce and gently stir to combine. Cover and chill at least 3 hours. If desired, sieve reserved egg yolks through a strainer to garnish. Makes about 10 servings.

Mom and Dad July 5, 1951
Nahcotta, WA