Pasta salad

Perfect for a summer evening meal. ✨

Ingredients

        Salad:

• 400g (about four cups) dry pasta in any small shape
• 125g (1 cup) frozen peas 
• 1 fresh cucumber
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1/2 of a red onion
• 10 grape (or 15 cherry) tomatoes
• 20 Kalamata olives, pitted
• Celery would surely be good, too, but I didn't have any today

        Dressing:

• 1 large or two small garlic cloves, minced
• 60 or so grams (1/4 cup) of mayonnaise
• 80 or so grams (approx 3/4 cup) plain yogurt
• 1 tbs mustard
• 2-3 tbs balsamico
• 2 tsp or so salt
• 1 tsp dill
• A couple spoonfuls of capers

         Optional:

• 3 tins of small oily fish (tuna, sardines, mackerel, etc), drained & mashed

                OR

• 6 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

                OR

• both!

Directions

Set your pasta to boil. When it's almost done (like 2 minutes left), add the peas. Drain and rinse in cool water.

Meanwhile, quarter & slice the cucumber; quarter & thinly slice the bell pepper; halve & really thinly slice the onion; slice up the tomatoes; cut the olives in half. If you have celery, give that a chop into those little c-shaped pieces.

Stir together all the dressing ingredients in a cereal-sized bowl. Then mix up everything in a big mixing bowl because this makes a lot!

Cover and chill for a while so that the flavors can all blend together before dinner. 😋

Chopped salad

This is my new standby:

Lamb's leaf lettuce (aka mâche, aka Feldsalat, aka Nüsslisalat, aka corn salad)
Arugula (aka rocket)
Cherry tomatoes
Avocado

1/2 Orange

Walnut oil

Balsamico

Salt and pepper

(optional) Other nuts: walnuts or almonds or ..

Pile the lettuces together (lamb's leaf and arugula) in about equals parts on a large cutting board. Open an avocado and scoop the meat out onto the pile. Use a giant knife to chop it all together until it's in soft, moist, fork-sized chunks. Scrape into a bowl. Halve the cherry tomatoes and toss together with the salad. Toss with a dressing of: fresh squeezed orange, walnut oil, a dash of balsamico, salt and pepper. Optionally sprinkle with some other nuts.

I've tried variations of this where I try to add more herbs (mix in fresh basil, or add tarragon or italian herbs or something) but it really is best just as simple as it is!

Variations:
+ Goat cheese instead of avocado (both at the same time is good, but tips the scales toward rich, rather than fresh. Depends on what you're going for!).
+ Spinach instead of the other greens. If you use spinach, strawberries might also be a nice addition.