Sunday, June 3, 2012

MOORE Pasta Puccini Salad and a Garden Party

This is my favorite Cold Pasta Salad to make for a Garden Party, BBQ, or any warm day. The ingredients are fresh and flavorful. I use a small pasta, Acini de Pepe, which adds to the texture in a slight and not overpowering way, not giving you the sense of a mouthful of pasta. It looks like an Israeli Couscous, but it really is a pasta.
I co-hosted a neighborhood Garden Party with our dear neighbors, they are in their 80's, but they run circles around me. I just love their energy, great health, wisdom, upbeat attitude  and love for travel. They have just returned  from Florence for the umpteenth time, I would like to be like them when I grow up!
Moore's Pasta Puccini
I woke up the next day and completely forgot to add an ingredient, it was still delicious! Pine Nuts!
Cashew Asparagus Pasta
Judy's Pasta Salad with Cannellini Beans and Artichoke hearts. Delicious
Lentil Salad~ a wonderful combination of veggies and citrus, delicious cold.
A beautiful array of wonderful dishes for our Pot Luck. It just turned out to be all Vegetarian.
Lovely Garden, wonderful design, love the bordering rocks
One of the beautiful Gardens.
A lovely Hydrangea
 
A lovely spot to enjoy a cocktail.
Men discussing ART
New Friends
Thank you for the lovely party, I am so lucky to have such wonderful neighbors and friends.
 Moore Pasta Puccini
Ingredients

1 lb Acini De Pepe Pasta

1 bunch Basil chiffonade
6 ounces Kalamata Olives pitted and chopped
1 6 Ounces Goat Cheese
1 pint Cherry Tomatoes quartered
Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup Pine Nuts ( browned)

Directions


In a large pot bring salted water to a boil, add pasta, cook as directed on package, until pasta is Al Dente. Drain and let come to room temperature.


In a separate large bowl, add Olive Oil, Tomatoes, Basil, Goat Cheese, Kalamata Olives, Pine Nuts and toss to coat, add fresh ground pepper. After the pasta has cooled, add to the other ingredients. Chill in the refrigerator. Toss when ready to serve. Sprinkle Basil Chiffonade over pasta.

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14 comments:

Lauren @Part Time House Wife said...

Yum... the Pasta Puccini Salad looks delish...and what a nice Garden Party! Looked like a nice time.

Leslie said...

Your Puccini Pasta Salad look a so delish! Saw you on the linky blog swap thingy and thought I'd say hi.

Leslie :)

Moore or Less Cooking said...

Thank you Lauren! @part time housewife. It was such a lovely party, the rain held off after weeks of planning, always love co hosting! This is my favorite pasta!Nettie

Moore or Less Cooking said...

Dear Leslie, Thank you for stopping by, love the linky parties! This is such an easy delicious pasta salad! Nettie

Six Sisters said...

That pasta looks SO good! yum! Thanks for sharing on "Strut Your Stuff Saturday!" We hope to see you this friday! -The Sisters

Jenn Erickson said...

Nettie, thank you for inspiring me to try Acini de Pepe!

Moore or Less Cooking said...

Thank you @Six Sisters! Every time I see your picture, I think how lucky you are to have such wonderful sister's, I am an only child and always wanted lots of brothers and sisters! Thank you for stopping by, this a= is a fantastic pasta dish and sooo easy! See you Friday! Nettie

Moore or Less Cooking said...

Hi Jenn!

You are not the first to have not tried this pasta before, I love it for cold pasta salads! Hope you are having a lovely weekend! Nettie

TastefullyJulie said...

Wow, that is my kind of pot luck! Everything looks wonderful. Thanks for linking up on my blog hop!

Moore or Less Cooking said...

Hi Julie! You would have been so happy at this pot luck, I was!! Thank you for stopping by, always so nice to see you! Nettie

M. J. Vitelli said...

The garden party looked wonderful and the salads especially the Pasta Pucini is going to be on my list for summer..Thanks Nettie <3:0

Moore or Less Cooking said...

Hi M.J.!

Love garden parties and I absolutely love my Pasta, it is my go to dish for any summer parties, friends request it! Nettie

Jackie said...

What a fun party! The setting was gorgeous and the food looked perfect! Thanks for inviting us along.

Jackie@Syrup and Biscuits

Moore or Less Cooking said...

Hi Jackie, Yummy Pasta, great company, perfect day, so happy you came by! Always great to see you! Nettie