This week on Hive top chef the topic is pasta salad. This was perfect for me since I just got a pasta machine. The local kitchen store was out of them for a while but there it was the other day.
I have been making the occasional pasta by hand but I recently moved to an apartment with a smaller kitchen. I decided to reward myself with a machine which would make pasta making less messy. I don't have anything against store bought packaged pasta. In fact I quite like them. Homemade pasta is just different and offers a little bit of therapy as well.
Usually I use half semolina flour and half all purpose. This time I went full semolina and I loved it.
I used around 2 cups semolina flour and around 1 cup water but I didn't really measure. I added a sprinkle of salt as well.
I decided to put it in the food processor instead of the hand mixing method. I guess I was experimenting. I decided to add a little oil after the mixing. I also added a little more water until it formed a doughy springy texture.
After taking the dough out, I kneaded for a good 15 minutes. After this it was nice and smooth. I covered it for around half an hour.
I cut it into sections and rolled out enough to fit into the machine.
After getting a nice thin, but not too thin sheet, I cut it into squares.
Grabbing each square in the middle and squeezing, forms the bowtie shape.
After forming them all I sprinkled a bit of semolina flour on them so they wouldn't stick. I am not a pro pasta maker but my instincts made it happen.
They were put in salty boiling water until tender. These took longer than regular store bought pasta. I wanted them quite soft for a salad rather than al dente like hot pasta.
The ingredients I chose were ones that may be used in Mexican cuisine. I say Mexican inspired though because I've never seen a pasta salad in Mexico. I have spent quite a while there and the only pasta I saw was a child's spaghetti with plain tomato sauce. I'm sure somewhere there is a pasta salad in Mexico.
Salad items
3 cobs sweet corn
1/2 cup red onion
2 small carrots diced
1 handful chopped cilatro
4 radishes
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1 bell pepper
2 hot chilies like jalapenos
I would have loved to have charred the corn on fire, but that could not happen in my kitchen so I opted for pan roasting in olive oil. I added a sprinkle of salt and just cooked it until it was brighter in colour making sure it wasn't over cooked which can make it dry and tough.
I chopped the veggies and decided on black beans. I opened a can that I had. I have dried black beans but I didn't soak them so I had to use canned.
Dressing
Juice of 3 limes
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons vegan mayo
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder
Salt to taste
Blend ingredients until smooth than taste and adjust the salt and seasonings.
Mix ingredients together.
Add some of the dressing and mix adding more after tasting if required.
I added the tomatoes at the end since they're juicy and I didn't want to mix them too much.
After everything was mixed, I let it sit for a while before serving, to let the flavors come together.
I served it on a bed of Boston lettuce.
I know that if this were made in Mexico there would be cheese all over it. I don't eat real cheese and often use a homemade vegan cheese but it really wasn't necessary. It's warm here right now so this was a refreshing salad which was filling because of the pasta.
An extra squeeze of lime and some fresh avocado was a perfect accompaniment.
Thanks for dropping by and have a great day
