Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad
Salads are almost usually meant to highlight stunning raw veggies, therefore it's only natural that the same concept would be applied to pasta salad. Cooked pasta and fresh vegetables—whether bell peppers, tomatoes, or celery—do not go well together, with a few exceptions. That's because pasta tastes best when it's coated with the ingredients it's served with, rather than simply sitting next to them. Furthermore, the texture of raw veggies does not always complement the texture of cooked pasta. When serving vegetables with pasta salad, it's usually best to cook them first. This could include blanching veggies like asparagus to make them softer, or letting tomatoes burst in a skillet to release enough juices to make a thick, fragrant pasta sauce.
The pasta salad, a tasty and fresh idea to realize without delay. Pasta salads are ideal in summer. They are tasty, varied, and nutritious, especially if you use whole or semi-complete pasta.
How To Grill Vegetables
In the oven
As you will have understood, the vegetable does not react very well to high temperatures. On long cooking, you must not exceed 110 ° C. Because roasting tends to dry out the product if it is not moistened beforehand. Ideally, we precook everything in boiling and salted water for three-quarters of the time of the recipe, then we brush it with oil or butter with crushed garlic on the baking sheet and put in the oven with a small lunch bowl half filled with water to bring in steam. Another technique: cook the vegetables surrounded by aluminum foil or a lid. And failing to add an aromatic garnish, a broth in the bottom of the baking sheet will flavor the preparation just as well. We then recover this liquid to make a sauce close to meat juice.
On the barbecue
Before going on the grill, pre-cooking is also necessary. When the barbecue is on, it is recommended to wait a bit. The vegetables will be grilled on a hot embers but never in flames. If the product has been marinated, drain them as much as possible so as not to drop any oil on the fire. "We have to start from the principle that we are just going to mark the vegetable to give it a nice outer crust", sums up the Michelin-starred cook. Another alternative, the plancha. Covered with baking paper, it allows you to cook more gently without calcining but with the disadvantage of removing the smoky taste of the barbecue.
Grilling vegetables adds smoky layers of depth to the flavors, and they are well suited for these cool salads. Before grilling or broiling, brush with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and some freshly diced herbs for the best flavor.
Tips: • Serve this salad as a side dish with any type of grillings, such as chicken, steak, pork, fish, or seafood. • This salad can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for 3 days.
- 500 grams pasta, penne type
- 125 milliliters wine vinegar
- 50 milliliters lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 clove garlic (chopped)
- Salt and pepper
- 125 milliliters olive oil
- 1 zucchini (cut into 1 cm slices)
- 1 small eggplant (cut into 1 cm slices)
- 1 red pepper (cut into thick strips)
- 1/2 red onion (cut into 1 cm rounds)
- 125 grams feta in pieces
- 4 tablespoons basil (chopped)
- 50 grams black olives (chopped)
- 50 grams toasted pine nuts (optional)
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the pasta until al dente according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cool water.
Mix the vinegar with the lemon, honey, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stirring constantly, slowly pour in the olive oil, until a homogeneous mixture is obtained. Mix the sauce with zucchini, eggplant, pepper, and onion. Save some vinaigrette for seasoning pasta.
Lightly oil the plates. put the vegetables on the grill and lower the lid.
Cook the vegetables, in batches, for about 5 minutes so that they are tender and well marked. Coarsely chop the vegetables and toss them with the cooked pasta, remaining dressing, feta, basil, and olives. Then sprinkle with pine nuts (if desired) just before serving.