Summer Recipe: Pasta Salad with Prosciutto, Tomatoes and Basil

Okay, long story short:  this is a just a simple pasta salad I’ve been making since I was a teenager.  I can’t remember if I learned it from my mom or sister, but this dish has stayed with me for a long time.  I make it several times every summer and this is what I love most about it:  it is very, very easy to make, requires little cooking and can be made in a New York minute.  And of course, it tastes of summer:  sweet tomatoes and spicy basil.  Add on to that some prosciutto for that salty-cured-sweetness, garlic for an extra bite, balsamic vinegar for fruity acidity, and extra virgin olive oil for roundness.  The combination is just the perfect marriage of flavors that one sees in a lot of dishes.  This is just another interpretation.

Now, for the pasta:  The type of pasta I used for this dish is called Trecce di Giulietta, which means “the braids of Juliet.”  (I can only assume they meant Juliet Capulet, but who knows.  Either way, gotta love the Italians.) Of course, this dish can be made with all types of pasta;  I’ve used farfalle, penne and fettuccine in the past.  

And just a few notes on cooking the pasta:  For the love of god, add salt to the water when cooking (I personally prefer to simmer rather than cooking at a rip-roaring boil, by the way.)  Should oil be added to the water?  I’ve never noticed a difference, I think its just a waste of oil.  It only makes sense to add oil after the pasta’s been cooked to prevent sticking.  As for cooling, there are several schools of thought on this.  Some chefs have taught me to run the pasta under cold water after cooking, others have had me dump the hot drained pasta onto a sheet pan and place it in the walk-in, near the fan to cool it down quickly.  I can’t say which method is better, neither is fool-proof.  What really counts is how long the pasta cooks in the water.  My rule of thumb at home is that Pasta Cannot Wait.  Whether I’m making a hot or a cold dish, I won’t cook the pasta for it until the very last minute.  For a hot dish, I cook, drain and mix immediately with whatever sauce.  For a cold dish, I cook, drain, run under cold water, re-drain and mix with remaining ingredients.  No need to waste water or reheat in either case, and the pasta comes out great every time.

PASTA SALAD WITH PROSCIUTTO, TOMATOES AND BASIL

MISE EN PLACE:

1)  1 pound of pasta

2)  2 pints of grape tomatoes, cut in half

3) 1/3 C of green basil, chiffonade

4)  2 cloves garlic, finely minced

5) 10 slices of prosciutto, cut into 1/2″ strips

6)  3 tbls extra virgin olive oil

7)  3 tbls balsamic vinegar

8.)  salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Set salted water to boil for pasta.  In the meantime, prepare the rest of the mise en place, which can be combined together right away.  When the water boils, add in pasta, stir, and lower heat to a nice simmer.  Cook to al dente, drain, rinse with cold water in a colander and re-drain pasta of excess water.  Combine everything.  Season to taste and serve.

(How easy was that?)

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