FLOPPY BOW TIE PASTA SALAD

FLOPPY BOW TIE PASTA SALAD

Tri-color pasta bow ties combined with fresh juicy tomato, broccoli buds, green pepper and scallion. Dressed with a creamy sweet mustard and tarragon dressing. Excellent!

Makes 11-12 cups

12 oz. box tri-color bow tie dried pasta, cooked in lots of sufficiently salted boiling water till pasta appears somewhat over-cooked (floppy), drained then rinsed under cold water till cool and drained well again

2 T. corn oil

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper

1 T. sugar

1 med. green pepper, cored and cut into 3/8 inch squares

1 c. sliced scallion, green and white part

2 heaping c. fresh broccoli buds, bite-size pieces

4 heaping c. fresh cut ripe, juicy tomatoes, 1/2 inch cubes

Dressing:

1-1/3 c. Vegenaise (soy based) mayonnaise made with grapeseed oil (Follow Your Heart Vegenaise link)

1/2 c. prepared yellow mustard

2 T. sugar

2 t. dried tarragon

1/2 t. ground allspice

salt to taste

In separate bowl combine Grapeseed Vegenaise, mustard, sugar, tarragon and allspice. Stir well then salt to taste.

Place cooked, drained, cool pasta bow ties in large bowl.

Add corn oil, salt, pepper and sugar. Gently toss to evenly distribute.

Add green pepper, scallion, broccoli and tomatoes. Toss.

Add dressing, toss gently again to evenly coat. Salt to taste and serve.

Notes: As with most pasta salads it’s usually best to serve the salad immediately after combining the solids with the dressing, this salad is no exception. So, prepare all the ingredient ahead of time, then toss with the dressing just before serving.

We use Grapeseed Vegenaise instead of the regular Vegenaise because it’s thicker and suits this salad better.

Cooking the bow ties till floppy rather than al dente was a texture achievement decision I made for this recipe. Just be sure they’re all in one piece. When the pinched area of the bow ties becomes loose and flattens somewhat it’s done. Watch carefully for that point. Then drain and rinse immediately to prevent further cooking. This is one of my favorite pasta salads.

The riper the tomatoes the better, which means summer will be the best time to make this salad. The juice of the tomatoes adds to the over-all flavor and texture achievements.

Tri-color bow ties create a more pleasing contrast of colors. If you can’t locate them, then use the plain white bow ties.