Summer Salad

I don't know why I decided to call this Summer Salad. Maybe because it was zesty and peppy (can you describe a salad as peppy?). Because it lovely to have in summer, or maybe I'm unimaginative when it come to naming foods? I was having a lazy day, like I often do and wanted a no cook meal. So I mixed up whatever I had in the fridge. Well, normally that thought is what results in my kitchen disasters, but this salad turned out pretty decent. I had some fruits still a couple of days away from garbage bin so put them in the salad and added some honey and lemon to the vinagrette.

I really enjoyed how the tart and sweet mixed with the bitter greens and I got a mouthful of flavor in every bite.

I had a bag of mixed greens to start with. I added thinly sliced cucumbers, carrots, tomato, onion, red bell pepper, pear and blueberries. I mixed up a basic vinaigrette of red wine vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper. There are no guidelines for proportion, I just kept tasting and adjusting till I liked it. To finish off, I added some shaved parmesan on top.

If I could have changed a couple of things, I would have used cherry tomatoes instead of roma and I think I would have put green apple instead of pear. I love a pear on its own, but here it was kind of soft and bland, stand up to the other flavors. I didn't take away from the salad though.

I still thought it was....pretty decent! And its so puurrty!

Mediterranean Pasta

I tasted a Mediterranean pasta somewhere and since then I've been dying to try it at home. It seemed really simple, a different take on pasta and the flavors really exploded. The restaurant where I first tasted it had a base of pesto and pasta tossed olive oil, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, feta cheese and olives.

I skipped feta cheese and artichoke hearts since I didn't have any and added capers because I love them! I also had half a red bell pepper, so I roasted that and added it.

1/2 cup of pesto

4-5 sundried tomatoes cut up in slivers

4-5 olives, halved

4-5 capers, drained

1//2 bell pepper, roasted and chopped

a handful of pasta, any shape

2 tsp olive oil

To make pesto, grind together basil leaves, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan cheese and stream in olive oil till it forms a smooth paste. Add some salt for taste and keep 1/2 cup aside at room temperature. Cover the extra pesto with olive oil and it will keep in the fridge for atleast a week.

Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water and drain and toss it while hot with olive oil. In a bowl put a couple of table spoons of the starchy pasta water, pesto sauce and add hot pasta and rest if the ingredients. Toss again. Garnish with basil leaves, more parmesan cheese and serve.

I have to confess I was a little too generous with the salt. So with the salty parmesan, salty capers, salty olives and salty pasta water the end product was..yes-you-guessed-correct-and-no you-don't-get-a-prize...salty!

Nevertheless, I'm not giving up on this pasta. I hope I have a better sense of proportion the next time round though.

Update! I made it again, skipped the pasta water, adjusted my scary proportion of parmesan and it turned out just the way I wanted.