Herbed Penne And Cucumber Salad Recipes

CUCUMBER SALAD WITH HERB & GARLIC DRESSING (VINAIGRETTE)

Steps:

• Shake Dressing in a jar.
• Cucumber: Trim ends then slice about 3 mm/ 1/8" thick.
• Place in bowl with red onion.
• Pour over Dressing, toss gently and serve immediately.

HERBED PENNE AND CUCUMBER SALAD

Steps:

• In a blender or food processor purée the mint, the dill, the parsley, and the scallion with the mayonnaise, the buttermilk, and salt to taste until the dressing is smooth. In a kettle of boiling salted water cook the penne until it is tender and drain it in a colander. Refresh the pasta with under cold water and drain it well. In a large bowl toss the pasta with the dressing and the cucumber and chill the salad, covered, for 1 hour. The salad may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled.

PENNE WITH CUCUMBERS, TOMATOES AND FETA CHEESE SALAD

Steps:

• Wash, core, and chop the tomatoes into 1/2 inch cubes.
• Peel the cucumbers, quarter lengthwise and into slivers, I have also cut them into cubes. Put the slivers or cubes in a bowl of cold water.
• Peel, trim and mince the garlic.
• Rinse the mint leaves, pat them dry and coarsely chop them.
• In a small skillet, cook the garlic in the olive oil over low heat, stirring until softened, but do not let it brown. Add the pepper flakes, anc cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Then blend in vinegar.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to directions for an al dente pasta. Drain the pasta. To prevent the pasta from sticking you can spread it out on a large baking sheet and let it cool for about 15 minutes.
• Drain the cucumbers.
• In a large ceramic bowl add pasta, the tomatoes, cucumbers, mint, olives and seasoned olive oil. Toss well until past is uniformly shiny. Crumble the feta cheese into the salad and toss to combine. Best served within an hour of finishing.

MEDITERRANEAN PENNE

Steps:

• In a large pot, cook penne according to package directions.
• (I sometimes like to add vegetable boullion to the water during cooking to give the penne a little extra flavor); Drain and set aside.
• In a large wok style pan combine onions, peppers, garlic and Italian herbs with olive oil and sauteé until tender crisp, about 10 to 12 minutes.
• Mix in the kalamata olives and sundried tomatoes, cook another 2 minutes, or until heated through.
• Add the cooked penne, feta and freshly ground black pepper to the pan and toss gently to mix.
• Cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes, or until feta begins to melt.
• Top each serving with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.