06/04/2007

Cooking on Deadline

A quick pasta salad with plenty of punch

By J.M. HIRSCH

AP Food Writer

The Associated Press
Punched Up Pasta Salad combines the bold flavors of feta cheese and onion with the crunchy sweetness of apple and corn. Rounded out with celery, grape tomatoes and an oil and vinegar dressing it can be enjoyed as is or add rotisserie chicken meat for an even heartier meal.

Most people don't associate marinating with the making of a pasta salad.

Yet pasta salads, whether an intricate recipe or just a pile of pasta with a bottle of vinaigrette dumped over it, generally improve with age. And it's all due to marinating. The flavors of the salad meld and are absorbed by the pasta.

But how about when there isn't time to let the salad sit? Those hot summer evenings when a cool, flavorful pasta salad and a glass of crisp white wine are called for? Can you get the same flavor without the time? With the right ingredients, easily.

Start with the pasta. As with many pasta dishes, shape matters. Spirals are best for this sort of salad, as their shape is perfect for trapping the dressing and other ingredients that give this dish its punch.

It's also important to allow the pasta to drain. The pasta should be dry and a bit tacky or starchy when it is combined with the other ingredients; this helps the other flavors adhere to it.

For the dressing, oil and vinegar are obvious. Lemon zest adds a wake-you-up freshness and oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes contribute a vital savory, almost mouth-puckeringly good note.

But perhaps most important to the dressing is crumbled feta cheese. Not only does this salty, assertive cheese contribute tons of flavor, it's dry texture also serves as sponge for the other flavors in the dressing. This is why the dressing is made first.

Though an unusual addition to a pasta salad, diced green apple provides a fantastic tart flavor that goes so well with the feta cheese.

Punched-Up Pasta Salad

Start to finish: 30 minutes

• 8 oz. block feta cheese, finely crumbled
• 1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1/3 c. thinly sliced sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/4 c. cider vinegar
• 8 oz. pasta spirals
• 2 ears corn
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 2 c. cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 green apple, peeled, cored and diced
• 2 T. fresh oregano leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, combine the feta cheese, olive oil, lemon zest, sun-dried tomatoes and vinegar. Toss well and set aside.

Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions.

Once the pasta has cooked, drain and rinse under cold water until cool. Let the pasta stand in the colander 5 minutes to drain any excess water. Toss the pasta once or twice during this time.

While the pasta cooks and drains, prepare the corn. To remove the kernels from the corn, start by removing the husk, then stand the ear on the wide end and use a serrated knife to saw down the length of the corn. Discard the cobs.

When the pasta is ready, transfer it to a large bowl. Add the feta cheese mixture and toss well. Add the corn, red onion, celery, tomatoes, apple and oregano. Toss well, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes six to eight servings.