Remembrance of things pasta

I had a busy week and wanted to make up some pasta salads to leave in the refrigerator for quick eating later. I’ve made up various alfredo-style pasta dishes over the years and have had the occasion to eat them as a leftover. Why not make up the same exact dish to eat cold for later?

I went ahead and made up my usual recipe, but I added some leftover cooked chicken. Upon completion of the recipe, I tasted it and found it to be quite flavorful. However, when chilled, some of the flavor will be less evident, as eating it cold will mute some of the flavor. I’m not saying just add a bunch of extra salt, but wait until you get into the dish and then check the seasonings.

While the finished dish was a bit saucy when hot, the noodles soaked up the extra liquid in the refrigerator overnight, creating a rather stiff noodle dish. While this would be quite nice to eat (and it was), it didn’t make for the prettiest picture, so I stirred in a little bit of heavy cream and some sour cream to loosen up the noodles. This proved to make my dish quite tasty, so I stirred more of each into the main pot of noodles to save time for the next person.

COOKING PASTA

Use at least 2 quarts boiling, salted water per 8 ounces of pasta. Use about 2 teaspoons salt per 2 quarts of water. Have the water boiling rapidly, and drop in the pasta. As it softens, stir gently to keep it from sticking together and to the bottom. Reduce the heat to medium-high. Continue to boil, stirring a few times. As soon as it is al dente, drain immediately in a colander and rinse with cold, running water until the pasta is completely cooled. Otherwise, it would continue to cook and become too soft. If the pasta is to be used cold in a salad, it is ready to be incorporated into the recipe as soon as it has cooled. If the pasta is to be held, toss gently with a small amount of oil to keep it from sticking. Do not store pasta in cold water. It will absorb water and become soft, as though it had been overcooked.

CHICKEN FETTUCINE ALFREDO

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 ounce butter

12 ounces fresh fettuccine

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Cooked chicken, diced

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine the cream and butter in a sauté pan. Bring to a simmer, reduce by one-fourth, and remove from the heat. Drop noodles into boiling salted water, return to a full boil, and drain. The noodles must be slightly undercooked because they will cook further in the cream. Put the drained noodles in the pan with the hot cream and butter. Over low heat, toss the noodles with two forks until they are well coated with the cream. Add the remainder of the cream and the cheese and toss to mix well. If the noodles seem dry and this point, add a little more cream. Stir in the chicken Adjust seasonings. Allow to cool before placing in the refrigerator.

CHICKEN TOMATO BASIL SALAD

1 pound spiral noodles

4 tablespoons salt

4 tablespoons sun-dried tomato and juice

2 tablespoons fresh basil pesto

1 can cooked chicken

8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1/4 to 1/2 cup mayonnaise

Fill a large pot half full with water and add salt. Heat to boiling and cook noodles until done. In a food processor put in tomato, and pesto. Blend until smooth. Drain noodles and run cold water over them to chill them. Place into a large bowl. Add contents of food processor, cheese, chicken, and mayonnaise. Stir well. Adjust seasonings and refrigerate overnight.

PASTA SALAD

1 (16-ounce) package rainbow pasta

1 onion, chopped

1 chopped bell pepper

1 ( 8-ounce) can olives, sliced

4 chopped tomatoes

1( 4-ounce) can green chilies

1/3 cup vinegar

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon chili powder

In a large pot with boiling salted water cook pasta until nearly done. Drain. Meanwhile, combine chopped onion, bell pepper, olives, tomatoes, and green chilies in a large bowl. Prepare dressing by mixing together vinegar, cilantro, garlic salt, lemon juice, vegetable oil, and sugar. Mix cooked pasta with vegetables. Toss with dressing and serve.

RAINBOW PASTA SALAD

2 cups uncooked macaroni

1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

1/2 cup chopped broccoli

1/2 cup julienned carrots

1/2 cup canned yellow corn

1/2 cup chopped tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

3 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard

2 tablespoons Italian-style salad dressing

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon celery seed, crushed

Chopped fresh to taste

In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta until just done. Rinse under cold water and drain. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, peas, broccoli, carrot, corn, tomatoes and bell pepper. Prepare the dressing by whisking together the mustard, Italian dressing, vinegar, brown sugar, celery seed and basil. Pour over salad and mix well. Refrigerate until chilled.