Seafood Pasta Salad
These last few days have felt so much like spring that I’ve begun looking through the mail for the annual invitation to Anderson’s cabin in the Indians. I think I’ll have to wait a bit for the invite because this yawl come pot luck day in the woods is timed to coincide with the height of the wildflower display in the fields on either side of the road up.

Pete and Jackie’s place is exactly what a cabin in the woods ought to be. It’s got all the necessary comforts but there is nothing there so precious that you’re too nervous to settle in and cozy down. The guys, beer in hand, stand around the stone barbeque giving Pete moral support while he cooks the chicken and ribs and whatever and the women settle the events of the day on the wooden porch. There’s always an interesting mix of people and conversations and I always learn some new tangle in King City genealogy.

Each year I think I’ll bring some new dish to the pot luck, but I wind up bringing the same thing because everybody seems to like it and it just looks so pretty on the table. The pale pink of the shrimp, the bright green of the parsley and basil, the red and black of the peppers and olives and the curlicued rotini must look pretty good to other people because it disappears.

Sue Kleber

 The Salad
1 lb. DeCecco or Barilla rotini
1 1/2 lb. medium shrimp
1 cup frozen baby peas
1/2 cup diced red pepper
1/2 cup minced purple onion
1 cup whole pitted black olives, drained		 The Dressing
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 to 4 TB lemon juice
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 cup minced shallots
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 to 1 tsp.ground black pepper
Cook rotini in a large pot of salted water until just tender, but not mushy, about 8 to 9 minutes after the water returns to the boil. Juice 1 to 2 lemons to get the juice for the dressing and put the empty lemon halves into a large pot of boiling water and cook the shrimp until just done, about 4 minutes. Peel and clean shrimp. Combine other salad ingredients. (The baby peas don’t need to be cooked. Just put in a strainer and rinse with warm water.)

Put all the dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. You may need to add a bit more olive oil depending on the volume of the basil and parsley. Combine salad ingredients and dressing and mix thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste and put into a large flat lettuce lined bowl. Garnish with additional basil sprigs.
Courtesy of:
Real Estate & Living
www.somocorealestate.com