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The Café is heading home today after a lovely week of vacation on the coast of South Carolina. We've loved every minute of this precious time with family............. though, if you peeked in on us at any given time, the word ............
.............. cacophony might just come to mind. Cacophony? Yup, it's defined as, "a mixture of sounds, as in a cacophony of horns during a traffic jam". Another definition describes it as, "what you'd hear if you gave musical instruments to a group of four-year olds and asked them to play one of Beethoven's symphonies". With five children, seven years and under, there's never a dull moment, always lots of entertainment, a healthy dose of drama and lots of pure, unadulterated noise!
The only problem with the word cacophony is that the dictionary says that the conglomeration of sounds that make it up are "discordant" or "harsh"............ Nope, not to this Grammy and Papa; this cacophony of talking, singing, crying, shrieking, laughing, etc. is music to our ears; maybe it's because we so clearly recall how quickly and elusively these early childhood years slip by.
Despite all the craziness and even on vacation, I enjoy cooking delicious meals for the family. I do try to keep them simple, fresh, light and easy to put together. This Pesto, Pepper and Sopressato Pasta Saladis one that can be prepared early in the day and brought to room temperature an hour or so before serving. Everyone loved it one sunny day this week for a picnic lunch on the beach and even the wee ones gobbled it up.
- 1 pound pasta* cooked according to package directions and drained
- ⅓ cup pesto
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or a bit more if the pesto is really thick
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes halved
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cut in ½-inch pieces
- ½ large bell pepper diced small, I used golden, but any color bell pepper is fine
- 4 ounces Sopressata** thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- fresh herb leaves for garnish if desired
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Cook pasta according to package directions or until al dente. Drain well and drizzle with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. (This will prevent pasta from sticking together) Toss well to coat with oil and allow to cool to lukewarm.
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Combine pesto and olive oil and stir well with a small whisk or a fork. Set aside.
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Add all other ingredients to pasta and stir gently to distribute ingredients. Drizzle with the pesto/olive oil mixture, sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and stir again. Serve at room temperature. If making ahead, refrigerate until one hour before serving. Bring to room temperature and drizzle with a bit of extra virgin olive oil just before serving. Garnish with fresh herb leaves if desired.
Notes:
* ~ I love to find fun shaped pasta. The one I used for this salad is called torchio (resembling little torches) gigli, orecchiette, farfalle, conchiglie or radiotori would also work wonderful. Feel free to use your own favorite.
** ~ Sopressato is an aged Italian salami which is available in many larger groceries in the deli section. I used the Boars Head brand which is very delicious and comes, prepackaged in a 9-ounce portion. It's about 1-inch in diameter and works well, sliced thin in this salad. You could also cube it or quarter the slices if the diameter is larger. It comes in "sweet" and "hot" varieties. We like the "sweet" but choose according to your palate.
Kitty says
Hi Chris,
I just made this pasta salad for transporting for a Memorial Day outing. I had to taste it and oh my, it's wonderful and such simple ingredients. Thanks for sharing. You're always inspirational.
If I post it, I will be sure to give you credit. xo
Sandra Lee says
Recently I seen Sopressato in the grocery store and wondered what I could do with it. Now I know, thank you.
www.you-made-that.com says
I love everything about this salad, it has flavor, color, and texture perfect!
Lisa {Authentic Suburban Gourmet } says
What a simply pretty salad! Loving all of the pretty color and the flavors sound amazing!
Erin @ Texanerin Baking says
I so wish I liked pasta salads! I just like my pasta covered in tomato or creamy cheese sauce. Awful, I know...
This looks perfect to bring along to a picnic! Bookmarking it for that very reason. 🙂
kumars kitchen says
this is such a confetti pasta dish...perfect for summers...hooked on this salad
🙂
Kim - Liv Life says
What a salad!! I love the salami, and the pesto completes it. An ideal lunch!
I'm feeling all to closely just how quickly time flies. Seems just yesterday my kids were those little ones you described, yet today my son and I began the college application process. Just a year from now he will be heading off, and my world will be a bit lonely! I'm savoring every minute. But I think I'll savor it a little more with some of your salad. pinned and printed!!
Kitchen Riffs says
Lovely recipe - this looks incredibly delish. Sopressato is truly tasty stuff - this is a great way to get the flavor in a nice healthy salad. Glad you had a terrific vacation.
Andrea_TheKitchenLioness says
Chris, sounds like you had a wonderful time with the grand-children and our family at the beach. You know your Pasta Salad with pesto dressing and sopressato (that I can buy at my very favorite Italian supermarket in Cologne) sounds like my kind of recipe for summer time. It is full of delicious and fresh flavors, easy dressing and it is so coloful - just perfect.
Have a lovely weekend - noch ein schönes Wochenende!
Mary Hirsch says
Thank you for another immediately usable salad recipe. It looks delicious. And, I appreciate the Sopressata tutorial. I am trying to become more acquainted with Italian meat delicacies by name. Whole Foods just special-ordered Mortadella for me and I am pleased. And, yes, I know it is very caloric. Five children under seven,. Cannot imagine but know it was fantastic for the two of you. I'm sure the Moms and Dads were thrilled with your home cooking.