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Food

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ANNABEL COHEN
Special to the Jewish News

S

eptember, for the
most part, is yet a
summer month.
It's still warm,
and until near the end,
the leaves on the trees are
green. So just because the
calendar page has turned,
the school year begun and
the High Holidays are
soon upon us, doesn't
mean that we immediately
have to switch from crisp,
cool salads to the hot,
heavy, heartier foods.
One of the summer's
greatest pleasures combines
the comfort of pasta with
summer's bounty. Pasta sal-
ads are more popular than
ever. The reason could be
that most pasta salads are
considered meals in them-
selves, usually served with
crunchy , breads.
All pastas"rely on
sauces and condiments to
give them flavor. It so
happens that cool dress-
ings and sauces, like those
normally served over
greens, work perfectly
well over cooled pasta.
A good pasta salad
starts with the choice of
pasta. Small shapes, such as penne,
rotini, orrechiere and fusilli, work
best. When cooked correctly — al
dente (cooked but not mushy or
waterlogged) and quickly rinsed
under cold water to stop the cook-
ing process — they keep their
shapes when tossed with other
ingredients. Delicate shapes, such
as farfalle (bow ties) or "wheels"
can break if roughhoused or left
too long in wet dressings or tossed
with many ingredients.

There's still time to

enjoy some of summer's

delicious pasta salads.

Long pastas, such as spaghetti or
linguine can also work well. They're
just more difficult to eat when
armed with only a fork.
As a rule, dressing, cold sauces --
or hot sauces for that matter --

cling best to dried, cooked pasta.
So after cooking and rinsing the
pasta for a salad, it's important to
not only drain the pasta well, but
to allow the pasta to dry just a bit.
A quick way to remove water
from cooked pasta is to line a cook-
ie sheet with a clean dishtowel and
spread the cooked pasta over the
towel to allow the excess water to
evaporate.
When it comes to ingredients,
it's nearly impossible to ruin a pasta
salad. Most pasta salads that aren't

tasty are either mushy, don't have
enough ingredients or use bad
dressings, such as a purchased
Italian dressing.
Look to the garden for the most
satisfying salad ingredients. What's in
season is best — use plenty of vegeta-
bles in many different combinations.
When you've prepared a pasta .
salad and it doesn't look like there
are enough vegetables to make the
salad colorful and eye-appealing,
add more. Use your discretion.
A simple vinaigrette is better than

8/27
1999

Detroit Jewish News

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