summer pea and roasted red pepper pasta salad

There are some chefs and cooks out there that stay clear of pasta salads.  The noodles lose their "al dente" texture as the salad sits and sucks up the dressing.  They also get dry when sitting for too long.  Personally, I love pasta and have a hard time passing a pasta salad by.  It definitely helps if they are interesting and have a good punch of flavour.  And I think this pasta salad delivers.  The peas give a nice contrast in texture and as long as you don't let the salad sit around for too long and mix in a bit of reserved dressing at the last moment, the salad doesn't need to be mushy or dry.

Summer Pea and Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Salad - adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1 pound of small shell pasta
1/4 pound snow pea pods, ends trimmed
1/2 pound fresh summer peas, which yielded about 1 cup once shelled

1/2 pound snap peas, ends trimmed
3/4 to 1 cup Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette (recipe below)

1/2 to 1 cup crumbled feta cheese

10 basil leaves, sliced thin

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and prepare a small ice water bath. Boil the snow pea pods for about two minutes, or until just barely cooked but still crisp. Scoop them out with a large slotted spoon and drop them in the ice water bath. Cook the peas for about 3 minutes (once again, this will be al dente, you can cook them longer if you prefer them softer), scoop them out with a large slotted spoon and plunge them into the ice water bath as well. Boil the snap peas for 3 minutes or until al dente, scoop them out and plunge them into the ice bath too.  Drain the peas. Cut the snow peas into thin slivers and the snap peas into bite size pieces.

Add the pasta into the boiling water and cook it according to package instructions. Drain and let cool, then toss in a large bowl with peas and Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette.  Top with feta cheese and basil. Season to taste.

Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette

Makes about one cup of dressing

1 red bell pepper, roasted, skinned and seeded or the equivalent from a jar, drained
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (and up to 2 tablespoons more if you, like us, like that extra bite in your dressing)
1 tablespoon chopped shallot (about 1 small)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Several grinds of black pepper

Puree the red bell pepper in a food processor or blender as much as possible, then add the remaining ingredients and running the machine until the dressing is silky smooth. Adjust the vinegar level and seasonings to taste.