pasta salad Archives - Aggie's Kitchen

Caesar Pasta Salad with Chickpeas

Aggie Goodman — Tue, 08 Sep 2015 12:12:11 +0000

We are well into our fourth week of school here in Florida. I know a lot of northern schools start right around now so the back-to-school season seems to be spread out a bit over a month. I’m happy to finally be back into the groove of school and settling into a routine.

Packing lunches are of course a huge part of that routine!

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Ina Garten’s Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Aggie Goodman — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:00:00 +0000

After getting back from vacation earlier this week, the last thing I wanted to do was any heavy cooking. Lucky for me, this Barefoot Blogger recipe was waiting for me. Cat of Delta Whiskey chose Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes for one of July’s recipes and am I so happy she did.

Just in case you don’t know who the Barefoot Bloggers are…

We’re an [extra]ordinary group of cookers and bakers with a love of all things Ina. We’ll be testing (and retesting) Ina Garten’s (The Barefoot Contessa) recipes as a group and blogging about them on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of every month.

This pasta salad was wonderful. It had all of my favorite flavors in it…capers, tomatoes, basil, olives…I just knew I would love it as soon as I read the recipe. I substituted whole wheat pasta and added some chopped red onion and additional capers to the pasta for some extra crunch. I was so excited to use basil and tomatoes from my garden…a delicious combination of cherry and San Marzano tomatoes. This is definitely a salad perfect for summer get togethers, or for a nice easy dinner served alongside some Italian Herb Grilled Chicken…stayed tuned for that recipe!

This recipe can be found in the Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook or here on Food Network .

Check out Cat and the rest of the Barefoot Bloggers to see their delicious creations!

The post Ina Garten’s Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

Curried Couscous

Aggie Goodman — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:00:00 +0000

Summer has definitely begun for us…though I know not officially on the calendar. The weather is hot, real hot, and the kids are out of school. We have had a busy week visiting with classmates and friends, not leaving me much time for cooking it seems.

Lucky for me, this week’s Barefoot Blogger recipe, chosen by Ellyn of Recipe Collector and Tester, was an easy one. I’m not kidding when I say easy. That’s what I love so much about couscous, it’s ridiculously simple to make and I love flavoring it up by adding veggies, nuts and currants to it…just like Ina did in this recipe.

I made a few adjustments and additions to the original recipe like adding chopped yellow bell pepper and substituting whole wheat couscous. I also decided to leave out the red onion…and as I’m writing this post am realizing that I apparently left out the sliced almonds…oops.

I loved the curry yogurt dressing called for in this recipe…though, next time I will probably double it and use a little extra to keep it from becoming too dry as it sits out. This dish is served at room temperature and would be a great side dish for any barbecue or summer get together.

Curried Couscous

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat couscous
1 tablespoon unsalted olive oil
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 carrots, small-diced
1/2 cup dried golden raisins
1/4 cup blanched, sliced almonds
2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
1 yellow bell pepper

Directions:

Place the couscous in a medium bowl. Melt the butter in the boiling water and pour over the couscous. Cover tightly and allow the couscous to soak for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, vinegar, curry, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Pour over the fluffed couscous, and mix well with a fork. Add the carrots, parsley, currants, almonds, scallions, and red onions, mix well, and season to taste. Serve at room temperature.

Recipe adapted from Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
or find original recipe here on Food Network

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