with the cool breeze in the atlanta air these days, the mood struck me suddenly and i was craving pasta salad. sure, i could hop into disco kroger and pick up a pint of the premade stuff, but with plenty of time on my hands, i decided to bust out a tried and true spicy pasta salad recipe. now, when i pulled up the ingredients and directions from my cookbook, my handwriting gave no clue as to where the recipe originated. after a quick search, though, i found out it was another classic from ree drummond.
the good news? now i don’t have to type out every measurement and step. the better news? i still feel compelled to post all the pictures of me making this dish! for your viewing pleasure, here is me at work in my little kitchen. 🙂
cook up some pasta.
next, measure out half a cup of mayo. throw it in a mixing bowl.
pour one fourth cup of whole milk and then add it to the mayo.
get yourself four tablespoons of white vinegar and marry it up with the mayo and milk.
to the mix add the salt and some peppa and adobo sauce!
whisk it all up.
next? chop up some tomatoes. the grocer didn’t have red grape tomatoes, so i went with cherry tomatoes and just chopped ’em a little finer. also, it was a very happy coincidence because these hokee tomatoes come from right down the street in forest park, georgia. cool!
next you’re going to cube up some gouda. i won’t judge if you consume any awkwardly shaped or sized pieces on the spot. i’d be lying if i said i didn’t do that exact thing myself.
now, we’re almost done, i promise! in your bowl, toss together the gouda, tomatoes, cooled pasta, and dressing. then, use all your self control not to take a bite – it’s not ready quite yet!
okay, the final step is to grab a whole bunch of basil and chiffonade it. “chiffonade” is technically a noun, but as a verb, it means to stack all your basil leaves…
…roll them up…
…and then use your knife to thinly slice it all. just like that you’re a chiffonade pro!
take all that lovely basil and incorporate it in with the pasta mix. this salad will be sure to please at home, at a picnic, at a bbq, just about anywhere that pasta salad is welcome. the dressing isn’t overwhelming and has a nice kick from the adobo that provides great flavor. as with all pasta salads and potato salads of this sort, letting it sit overnight makes for a greatly refreshing snack the next day.
kelsey v 