Recipe Antipasto Pasta Salad

[TastyReuben]

This is my entry for the August Dish Of The Month (Pasta Salad).

Antipasto Pasta Salad
Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

8 ounces sliced pepperoni, cut into 1/4-inch strips
8 ounces sopresatta or salami, halved and cut into 1/4-inch strips
10 tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 jar pepperoncini (12-ounce), drained, (2 tablespoons juice reserved), stemmed, and chopped coarse
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper
1 pound fusilli or campanelle
1 pound white mushrooms, quartered
1 cup shredded provolone cheese, aged
12 ounces roasted red peppers, drained, patted dry, and chopped coarse
1 cup chopped fresh basil

Directions
Place one paper towel on microwave-safe plate. Arrange pepperoni in single layer on paper towel. Cover with another paper towel and layer soppressata on towel. Top with another paper towel and microwave on highest power until meat begins to render fat, about 1 minute. Set meat aside.

Whisk 5 tablespoons vinegar, olive oil, mayonnaise, pepperoncini juice, garlic, red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in medium bowl.

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta and cook until al dente. Drain pasta, return to pot, and toss with 1/2 cup dressing and remaining vinegar. Adjust seasonings, spread dressed pasta on rimmed baking sheet, and set aside until cooled, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring remaining dressing to simmer in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook until they release their juices and are lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and cool.

Add meat, provolone, roasted red peppers, chopped pepperoncini, basil, and cooled pasta to mushrooms and toss well. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve at room temperature.

Recipe is from America's Test Kitchen Complete Cookbook, 2001-2012.

My changes to above:

I diced the pepperoni, just to get a different texture from the salami, and I skipped the mushrooms and subbed in a cup of chopped kalamata olives.

 

[Morning Glory]

It looks beautiful. And I reckon the olives would work possibly better than the mushrooms here.

Place one paper towel on microwave-safe plate. Arrange pepperoni in single layer on paper towel. Cover with another paper towel and layer soppressata on towel. Top with another paper towel and microwave on highest power until meat begins to render fat, about 1 minute. Set meat aside.

Unusual to see the microwave being used. Even more unusual to use it to render fat in cured Italian sausage. I must try this. I'm not a microwave snob.

 

[TastyReuben]

It looks beautiful. And I reckon the olives would work possibly better than the mushrooms here.



Unusual to see the microwave being used. Even more unusual to use it to render fat in cured Italian sausage. I must try this. I'm not a microwave snob.

The interesting thing with the mushrooms is cooking them in some of the salad dressing, so they can soak that up. I wish I liked them, because that's interesting.

I also use the microwave to cook the fat out of pepperoni or salami on pizza, and I have a fantastic meatball recipe that does something similar with the meatballs, to keep the marinara from getting too greasy.

 

[Morning Glory]

I wish I liked them, because that's interesting.

You don't like mushrooms?

 

[TastyReuben]

You don't like mushrooms?

I hate them.

Though, once we were invited to a friend's house for dinner, and they served a puréed mushroom soup, and I had to eat half of it out of politeness, and it was horrible to me, like eating water in which dirty underpants had steeped.

 

[rascal]

I hate them.

Though, once we were invited to a friend's house for dinner, and they served a puréed mushroom soup, and I had to eat half of it out of politeness, and it was horrible to me, like eating water in which dirty underpants had steeped.

Tmi lol

Russ

 

[MypinchofItaly]

This is my entry for the August Dish Of The Month (Pasta Salad).

Antipasto Pasta Salad
Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

8 ounces sliced pepperoni, cut into 1/4-inch strips

8 ounces sopresatta or salami, halved and cut into 1/4-inch strips

10 tablespoons red wine vinegar

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 jar pepperoncini (12-ounce), drained, (2 tablespoons juice reserved), stemmed, and chopped coarse

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper

1 pound fusilli or campanelle

1 pound white mushrooms, quartered

1 cup shredded provolone cheese, aged

12 ounces roasted red peppers, drained, patted dry, and chopped coarse

1 cup chopped fresh basil

Directions

Place one paper towel on microwave-safe plate. Arrange pepperoni in single layer on paper towel. Cover with another paper towel and layer soppressata on towel. Top with another paper towel and microwave on highest power until meat begins to render fat, about 1 minute. Set meat aside.

Whisk 5 tablespoons vinegar, olive oil, mayonnaise, pepperoncini juice, garlic, red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in medium bowl.

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta and cook until al dente. Drain pasta, return to pot, and toss with 1/2 cup dressing and remaining vinegar. Adjust seasonings, spread dressed pasta on rimmed baking sheet, and set aside until cooled, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring remaining dressing to simmer in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook until they release their juices and are lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and cool.

Add meat, provolone, roasted red peppers, chopped pepperoncini, basil, and cooled pasta to mushrooms and toss well. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve at room temperature.

Recipe is from America's Test Kitchen Complete Cookbook, 2001-2012.

My changes to above:

I diced the pepperoni, just to get a different texture from the salami, and I skipped the mushrooms and subbed in a cup of chopped kalamata olives.
View attachment 30465
View attachment 30464

Looks delicious. I only have a question: 'pepperoni' is a sort of salame, right? I often get confused about what you call 'pepperoni' abroad, because 'peperoni' (only one P) in Italian are red/yellow/green peppers (the vegetables)
I agree with @morning glory about Kalamata olives, I think they work better in this pasta salad than mushrooms (that you'd not put anyway, I guess)

 

[CraigC]

It looks beautiful. And I reckon the olives would work possibly better than the mushrooms here.



Unusual to see the microwave being used. Even more unusual to use it to render fat in cured Italian sausage. I must try this. I'm not a microwave snob.

Sometimes we microwave pepperoni if we think it is too greasy, before topping pizza with it. Don't like little puddles of grease surrounding the pepperoni on the pizza.

 

[TastyReuben]

Looks delicious. I only have a question: 'pepperoni' is a sort of salame, right?

Yes - generally spicier than a "regular" salami that we'd get here. From wiki:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepperoni

 

[CraigC]

Yes - generally spicier than a "regular" salami that we'd get here. From wiki:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepperoni

You should try nduja on pizza instead of pepperoni!

 

[Morning Glory]

You should try nduja on pizza instead of pepperoni!

Nduja is great on anything!

 

[medtran49]

Sometimes we microwave pepperoni if we think it is too greasy, before topping pizza with it. Don't like little puddles of grease surrounding the pepperoni on the pizza.

You can also make pepperoni chips by microwaving them just a bit longer than to get rid of the grease, though you do have to watch and be careful not to burn them. One of our GDs loves them like this and will sit and eat and eat and eat them.

 

[MypinchofItaly]

You should try nduja on pizza instead of pepperoni!

 

[GadgetGuy]

This is my entry for the August Dish Of The Month (Pasta Salad).

Antipasto Pasta Salad
Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

8 ounces sliced pepperoni, cut into 1/4-inch strips

8 ounces sopresatta or salami, halved and cut into 1/4-inch strips

10 tablespoons red wine vinegar

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 jar pepperoncini (12-ounce), drained, (2 tablespoons juice reserved), stemmed, and chopped coarse

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper

1 pound fusilli or campanelle

1 pound white mushrooms, quartered

1 cup shredded provolone cheese, aged

12 ounces roasted red peppers, drained, patted dry, and chopped coarse

1 cup chopped fresh basil

Directions

Place one paper towel on microwave-safe plate. Arrange pepperoni in single layer on paper towel. Cover with another paper towel and layer soppressata on towel. Top with another paper towel and microwave on highest power until meat begins to render fat, about 1 minute. Set meat aside.

Whisk 5 tablespoons vinegar, olive oil, mayonnaise, pepperoncini juice, garlic, red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in medium bowl.

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta and cook until al dente. Drain pasta, return to pot, and toss with 1/2 cup dressing and remaining vinegar. Adjust seasonings, spread dressed pasta on rimmed baking sheet, and set aside until cooled, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring remaining dressing to simmer in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook until they release their juices and are lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and cool.

Add meat, provolone, roasted red peppers, chopped pepperoncini, basil, and cooled pasta to mushrooms and toss well. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve at room temperature.

Recipe is from America's Test Kitchen Complete Cookbook, 2001-2012.

My changes to above:

I diced the pepperoni, just to get a different texture from the salami, and I skipped the mushrooms and subbed in a cup of chopped kalamata olives.
View attachment 30465
View attachment 30464

I thought that antipasto was made without pasta.

 

[TastyReuben]

I thought that antipasto was made without pasta.

Not if it's a pasta salad. It's meant to capture the flavors of a typical antipasto salad in a pasta salad. That way, you can have some pasta before you have some (more) pasta. It's a win-win!