By PASCALE PEREZ-RUBINUpdated: JULY 27, 2017 18:31pasta shells with chicken and vehetables(photo credit: PASCALE PEREZ-RUBIN)TIPascale • Add the salt only after the water has boiled.• Pasta loves having lots of space, so you should cook pasta in a pot that’s large enough so that there’s one liter of water per 100 gr. of pasta.• Cook the pasta until it’s “al dente,” which in Italian means “on your teeth.” In other words, the pasta should be cooked just enough so that you can bite into it with your teeth.Now that it’s so hot outside, all we want to eat for dinner is a quick-to-prepare, light meal. In other words, this is the perfect season for cold pasta dishes that are full of vegetables.First, pick the kind of pasta you want to use, including shape, color, and type of flour, such as whole wheat, rice or gluten-free. Some pastas include vegetables blended inside them, and of course you can mix the pasta with all sorts of colorful additions like herbs, tuna, tofu, stir-fried chicken or cheese. These additions aren’t just to make your pasta salad more aesthetic – which they do – but also to form a nourishing, filling meal.Below you’ll find four suggestions for cold pasta salads, which can also be served hot (except for the tuna-cheese salad). You can also substitute just about any addition that you want to make a salad that your family loves. Just about everyone enjoys eating a tasty, colorful pasta salad.Translated by Hannah Hochner.Pasta with peas, tuna or tofuMakes 6 to 8 servings■ 1 Tbsp. kosher salt ■ 1 package (500 gr.) fettuccini or spaghetti ■ 2½ cups (300 gr.) frozen green peas ■ Pinch of salt ■ 4 Tbsp. olive oil ■ 2 scallions, chopped ■ 3 cloves garlic, crushed ■ 4 Tbsp. soy sauce ■ ¹⁄3 cup parsley, chopped ■ Salt and pepper, to taste ■ 1 package of tofu or 1 can of tuna in oil Heat a large pot of water with kosher salt. Add the pasta and cook for eight minutes until pasta is al dente. Rinse.Put peas and salt into a large bowl and pour boiling water on top and let sit for five minutes. Drain.Heat olive oil in a large skillet and heat over a medium flame. Fry the onion for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the tofu (if you’re using tofu) and the soy sauce. Cook for 1 minute. Add the peas and parsley, lower the flame and cook for 1 minute. Drain the tuna well and add to the pasta. Mix well.Transfer pasta to a serving dish and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle parsley on top and serve hot or cold.Pasta shells with chicken and vegetablesMakes 6 to 8 servings■ 3 Tbsp. olive oil ■ Red onion, cut into thin strips ■ 4 cloves garlic, crushed or chopped ■ 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved ■ 1 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved ■ Salt and pepper to taste ■ 500 gr. pasta shells ■ ½ tsp. Italian herbs or 1 Tbsp. basil, chopped finely ■ 4 pieces of chicken breast cut into thin strips Toppings: ■ ½ cup blanched almonds, sliced and roasted ■ Basil leaves Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and fry for a few minutes until it becomes translucent and golden. Add the garlic and tomatoes and fry for 2 to 3 more minutes. Add the olives and season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings.Transfer to a large bowl. Cook pasta according to directions on packaging. Drain, rinse well, and add to bowl with tomatoes and olives. Mix well. Add dried herbs or basil and mix well.Transfer to a serving dish and adorn with basil and almonds.Serve hot or cold.Bowties with avocado and mozzarellaMakes 6 to 8 servings■ 1½ cups small green peas ■ 2 Tbsp. oil ■ 2 cloves garlic, crushed ■ Salt and pepper to taste ■ 1 cup red pepper, roasted and cut into cubes ■ 1 avocado, peeled and cut into cubes ■ 300 gr. colorful bow tie pasta ■ 250 gr. baby mozzarella ■ 1 cup black olives, pitted (optional) Heat oil in a medium pan, add the peas, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes until peas soften. Add the peppers and avocado and stir-fry for another 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.Cook pasta according to directions that appear on the packaging. Rinse, drain and add to bowl. Mix and add mozzarella balls and olives.Mix well. Taste, adjust seasonings, and serve.Pasta can be served cold or at room temperature.TIPascale• After rinsing the pasta, pour it back into the pot, and add a little olive oil and salt so that the pieces don’t stick to each other.• Have your sauce and additions ready before the pasta is finished, so you can mix them together straight away. Otherwise, the pasta will continue to cook and become mushy and lose its texture.• When you’re serving pasta as a cold salad, rinse with cold water so that you can get rid of the extra starch.Pasta with a ton of vegetablesMakes 6 to 7 servings Ingredients:■ 4 Tbsp. olive oil ■ 1 red onion, chopped into thin strips ■ 1 cup fresh green beans, with ends trimmed ■1½ cups fresh champignon mushrooms, halved ■ ½ cup plum tomatoes, halved on long side ■ ½ cup yellow cherry tomatoes, halved ■ 1 cup red cherry tomatoes, halved ■ Leaves from 2 sprigs of thyme ■ 2 cloves garlic, chopped ■ 2 small carrots, sliced diagonally or into thin strips ■ 2 small zucchini, sliced diagonally or into thin strips ■ 1 large green pepper, cut into strips ■ 1 Tbsp. soy sauce ■ Salt and pepper to taste ■1 package (500 gr.) spiral pasta, made from regular, whole-wheat or gluten-free flour Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan and fry onion over medium-low flame for 5 minutes until they become golden. Add the green beans and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and thyme and cook until they soften.Season with salt and pepper and turn off flame.Turn your oven on and set on grill mode. Pour carrots, peppers, and zucchini into a pan. Drizzle the rest of the olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper on top of vegetables. Grill them for 15 to 20 minutes until vegetables turn golden brown. Add vegetables to frying pan. Add soy sauce and mix well.In the meantime, prepare the pasta according to directions on packaging. Rinse and transfer to bowl with vegetables and mix well. Serve cold or hot.TIPascale• If you’re in a hurry, brown couscous for 2 to 3 minutes, add curry powder, salt and water and cook until soft.Couscous and vegetables Makes 4 to 6 servings■ 1 package couscous ■ 5 Tbsp. olive oil ■ 1 red onion, chopped thinly ■ 1 red pepper, cut into cubes ■ 1 green pepper, cut into cubes ■ 1 cup of canned or frozen corn ■ ½ tsp. cumin ■ ¼ tsp. paprika ■ ¼ tsp. turmeric ■ Salt and pepper, to taste ■ ¼ cup coriander, chopped finely Cook couscous according to directions on packaging. Fluff with a fork and add 2 Tbsp. olive oil.In a large skillet, heat the rest of the oil and fry the onion until it’s translucent. Add the pepper and fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the corn and fry until soft. Add the spices and couscous and fry for 3 to 4 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from flame, add coriander and mix.
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