Sunday, May 18, 2008

Grilled Gazpacho Pasta Salad



I needed to make a family friendly side dish for our Mother's Day cookout in Indy. As much as burgers and brauts tempt me, I'm just not gonna do it. So I recreated a meal that I had made last summer, Grilled Gazpacho & Tubetti Salad. It is extremely nutritious and colorful, not to mention the wonderful hearty flavors of grilled veggies. Plus, it makes a ton so leftovers for the week!

Recipe:
10 tbsp. olive oil (estimate)
1 1/2lb cherry tomatoes
3 bell peppers (I use red and yellow, seed and cut in 1/4's)
2 medium red onions
4 medium zucchini, trimmed and halved lengthwise
4-6 garlic cloves, peeled
3 tbsp. Sherry Vinegar
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 box tubetti pasta
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
Optional: 1 cup herbed feta. Or slice a few spicy, grilled sausages for the carnivores.

Soak skewers for grill. Cut peppers and onions in quarters for grill prep. Toss all veggies with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Skewer veggies. Skewer your tomatoes 4-5 per skewer. Lay zucchini on grill. Wrap garlic in foil once oiled and seasoned. Grill it. Tomatoes grill the fastest in 3-5 minutes. Peppers take about 8-10 minutes. Onions and zucchini take 12-15 minutes. Once done, peel half the peppers and throw them in a blender with half of the other veggies (1/2 toms, 1/2 zucchini, 1/2 onion) and all the garlic. Add the vinegar, sugar and press play. Then coarsely chop the remaining veggies. Prep your pasta and mix in a large bowl with the blended ingredients. Top with chopped veggies, herbs and feta. Serve and eat warm. However, it is damn good once it is refrigerated.

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