COOK’S ILLUSTRATED INTRODUCED US TO A WHOLE SUITE OF PASTA SALADS. THIS ONE TICKS A LOT OF BOXES
This isn’t your garden-variety pasta salad. In fact, it’s barely a pasta salad at all. Cook’s Illustrated’s Andrea Geary (https://www.americastestkitchen.com/authors/50-Andrea-Geary) got bold and swapped out a good chunk of the pasta for juicy chunks of chicken and a medley of roasted corn and zucchini. Add to that grated carrots and radishes for extra crunch. Orecchiette is the pasta of choice because those little ear-shaped cups are perfect for cradling the dressing. Speaking of the pasta, it’s cooked 3 minutes past al dente. As every good Italian cook knows, this is a minor scandal but it firms up beautifully as it cools, landing at that sweet spot between too chewy and just right.
THE JALAPENO-LEMON DRESSING IS HARDLY AN AFTERTHOUGHT
Confession: Andrea Geary’s dressing was made with Lime Juice. Astonishingly, there was not a lime in our supermarket (a sign of things to come? Let’s hope not ) So we substituted lemon and blended it, as directed, with jarred jalapeno peppers for kick, and the whites of scallions for a savory boost. The result? A creamy, tangy cloak that actually sticks to the pasta like it means it. Carrot bits and sliced radishes bring the crunch. Scallion tops and whole cilantro leaves? They’re the green confetti that makes it all pop. It’s bold. It’s balanced. And best of all, it holds its own on the dinner table—no sad side dish energy here.
PLANNED LEFTOVERS ARE AN ADDED BONUS TO OUR ORECHIETTE SALAD
This Orecchiette salad has a bonus. It improves with age! Night one, I got the whole thing on the table in the advertised 45 minutes. Behold the virtues of using rotisserie chicken whenever you can. I made the full recipe, which serves 6 easily. Overnight, the flavors developed further, making the salad even more savory. At lunch the next day, the vegetables had kept their crunch, the noodles actually firmed up, and the whole salad just needed another clip of cilantro leaves and it looked fresh as the night before. We even pushed our luck into day three. It hadn’t lost its luster.
AFTER TODAY’S RECIPE 3 OTHER MAIN DISH SALADS FOR YOU TO TRY.
A great pasta salad that tastes just as good or even better on day two. Orecchiette Salad with Roasted Vegetables, Chicken and a Jalapeno-Lemon Dressing
Ingredients
Directions
HERE ARE 3 MORE SALADS TO ADD TO YOUR REPERTOIRE…CLICK ON EITHER THE PHOTO OR THE LINK…
Two Salads adapted from Ina Garten: Roasted Shrimp and Orzo and Beets with Orange Vinaigrette
