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Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Antipasti Pasta Salad with Kale and Radish

Antipasti Pasta Salad with Kale and Radish

Fresh Spring vegetables tossed with marinated preserved vegetables, fresh herbs, pasta and cheese for a cool and quick vegetarian supper

Antipasti Pasta Salad with Kale and Radish | Farm Fresh Feasts

If it's an Italian faux pas to say "antipasti pasta" I apologize.  All blame belongs to me.  I'm pretty sure that pasta antipasti is clearly wrong, but I'm thinking 'before the pasta-pasta' is OK.  Point is that I'm using traditional antipasti ingredients, combined with fresh spring vegetables, to make a tasty supper. Call it a multitasking meal--you've got your antipasti and your pasta course in one.
Antipasti Pasta Salad with Kale and Radish | Farm Fresh Feasts
You know, I did make a title image for Pinterest purposes.  May as well share it even though I changed the post title after I'd made it.  Dithering--not a good thing after 2 hard ciders!
This is a great 'it's too hot, I don't want to think about cooking dinner' dish, as well as a Fast From The Farm Share meal.  It uses kale, radishes, and green onions from the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share as well as a swing by your grocery store's olive bar for the rest (no grocery store olive bar? The jarred items keep for a while and are worthwhile to purchase).  If you boil the pasta while you're fixing your morning beverage, you can be out of the kitchen in a flash.
When we moved here we bought a gas stove. [And a house to go with it. In that order.]  Getting the gas line installed took some doing--city permits and all that.  Using an electric skillet, a crock pot, an electric kettle, a toaster and a grill I fixed family meals for weeks.  I learned a cheater way of making pasta salads by buying the fastest cooking fresh pasta and using my kettle to boil the water then 'steep' the pasta for a few minutes.  It was an easy meal our first summer here, and something that keeps the kitchen cool even when the oven works just fine.
Antipasti Pasta Salad with Kale and Radish | Farm Fresh Feasts

I'd been thinking about adding kale to a pasta salad for a while, and when I saw some marked-down olive bar containers I knew I'd go in an antipasti direction.  This would also be great in a more Mediterranean direction, later in the summer, if you got feta instead, and added fresh cucumbers and tomatoes when they are ripe.  The sun-dried tomatoes and marinated mozzarella make such a pretty bowl with the kale and radishes.  If you'd like, add some chopped cured meat or white beans for extra protein.

Antipasti Pasta Salad with Kale and Radish | Farm Fresh Feasts

Antipasti Pasta Salad with Kale and Radish | Farm Fresh Feasts

Antipasti Pasta Salad with Kale and Radish | Farm Fresh Feasts

Antipasti Pasta Salad with Kale and Radish | Farm Fresh Feasts

Antipasti Pasta Salad with Kale and Radish (serves 4)

½ pound pasta (some sort of fun shape like rotini or farfalle or shells that can grab the dressing)
2 to 3 cups kale, torn into bite sized pieces
¼ cup minced spring onion (or red onion, or shallot, or yellow onion, or scallion--it's all good)
½ cup radishes, sliced thinly
¼ to ½ cup olives of your choice (I'm partial to green and Kalamata these days), plus a splash of juice
¼ to ⅓ cup snipped sun dried tomatoes, plus a splash of their liquid
1 cup marinated mozzarella balls, plus a splash of marinade
⅓ to ½ cup marinated artichoke hearts, plus a splash of their marinade
¼ to ½ cup finely chopped Italian parsley and or basil
optional--2 to 4 Tablespoons of vinaigrette, if you want more than the liquids above
salt and pepper to taste

Get a large pot of salted water going first thing, then start prepping the vegetables.  When the water is boiling, cook the pasta according to package directions--and add the kale for the last 3 minutes of cooking.  Drain the pasta and kale, then rinse with cool water.
In a large bowl, combine the rest of the vegetables, cheese, and herbs. Dump cooked pasta and kale into bowl, toss to combine, and taste.  Is it too dry?  Add some vinaigrette. Does it need salt and/or pepper?  Add a generous pinch or a few grinds. Taste again.  Serve room temperature or chilled.

How I shot this--North-facing window, on the dining room table, foam core board reflector.

Antipasti Pasta Salad with Kale and Radish | Farm Fresh Feasts

This post is shared on What's Cookin' WednesdayFrom the Farm Blog HopClever Chicks Blog HopTasty Tuesdays, Food on Friday

14 comments:

  1. It's such a great salad!
    I'm a vegetarian and I could eat this salad every day :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Winnie,
      I sometimes feel like a broken record with all the artichoke hearts/olives but man, that combination just makes me happy.
      Thanks!

      Delete
  2. With fresh veggies. This pasta is definitely Delight.. Looks delicious.. Being a pasta lover wil try tis soon

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Vidya,
      Thanks--I think we need to make another round of this pasta as it's hot and I've got kale and radishes in the fridge. It works for the whole family.

      Delete
  3. Being non-Italian myself, I'm not sure what the Italians would think of your recipe title, but I like it! It looks and sounds delicious. I think I'm making an antipasti dinner salad next week. Which I'm irrationally excited about. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Julie,
      I think it's perfectly normal to be irrationally excited about food. Or we're both weird together.
      Thanks!

      Delete
  4. Seems like we're all thinking alike. I did a kale and beet salad with feta tonight.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tammy,
      That sounds delicious to me--I love beets and cheese together (goat, feta, whatev) and using more of the trash bag o' kale my dad gave me would be appreciated.
      Thanks!

      Delete
  5. Sounds delish! I can't wait to try it :) Stop by our Snickerdoodle Sunday sometime (8pmET Sun - 8pm ET Tues.) and bring some to share :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Crochet,
      Thanks for the invite, I'll check it out!

      Delete
  6. You know this makes my veggiefied heart sing, right? All of my favorite veggies, a witty intro and a clever back story.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Meghan,
      What, me witty? Aww, shucks. I admit we've had this a few times already this year. It just works--on that kale and those radishes.

      Delete
  7. Love that you have manager specials in your recipe--always a great money saving tip!! Thanks for sharing your photo tips as well--I have a lot to learn for my blog--http://amindfullmom.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kristen,
      It's incongruous, I know, to combine manager's specials with local foods, but that's how I roll. Good luck with your blog!

      Delete