July 13, 2016

Cheese Tortellini Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes Recipe

Name: Cheese Tortellini Salad With Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 12 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 12 oz. package cheese tortellini (I used the rainbow colored cooked according to directions. Do not overcook.); 2 cups grape tomatoes (halved); 1 cup whole Kalamata Olives (sliced); 1 cup cubed feta cheese; 1/4 cup red onion diced; 1/2 red pepper (can use orange or yellow pepper thinly sliced); 1 cup sun dried tomatoes in olive oil and herbs (thinly sliced); 1/4 cup Sicilian Lemon Balsamic vinegar (can substitute white balsamic vinegar); 2 Tablespoons Garlic Olive Oil; Zest from 1 medium lemon; 1 1/2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 12 basil leaves -- chiffonade the leaves (thinly slice); Salt and freshly ground pepper q.b.{ quanto basta (to taste})

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“Babe, how old is this package of cheese tortellini?” I could hear Honey rummaging around in a kitchen cabinet.

“Uh, what cheese tortellini?”

“This unopened cheese tortellini package stuck behind the canisters of farro and quinoa.” I heard a rustle of plastic. “I can’t even make out an expiration date on it. Do you know how old it is? If not, I’m tossing it out.”

Cheese Tortellini Held Hostage

“No!” I rushed in ready to rescue the poor package. “That’s perfectly good pasta, you can’t just throw it away. Mamma and papà would disown me if they saw us wasting food.”

I took the package from him. “I’ll make something special with it, I already have an idea for something really special” He gave me “the look”. You know the one, it’s between skeptical and you’re stalling.

“The last time you tried using cheese-filled pasta that had been in the cabinet for years, we got a crunch with every bite. I don’t think cheese filling is supposed to be crunchy.”

I was not about to give up. “I probably didn’t cook the pasta long enough.”

The Negotiations

He grinned. “It was an ingredient in a soup. In fact, it was in Spinach Tortellini Soup. As I recall when we reheated the soup the next day the cheese filling still had a slight crunch.”

“Well, uh . . . that pasta was a generic brand. This is from Trader Joe. I know it’ll be good.”

As I’m arguing for the life of the cheese tortellini, a pasta salad recipe keeps popping up in my head. “Anyway, I’ll make the pasta first, taste one to make sure it isn’t crunchy, then I’ll add whatever other ingredients.”

“Okay, but out it goes if there’s the least bit of crunch to it.”

I was going to make this work, no doubt about it. Nope, you can’t make me believe that everything past its “freshness” date had to be thrown away!

The Rescue Mission

Yes, I can see the recipe now — some kind of cheese pasta salad. I’m excited to get on with the recipe. The first thing I have to do is get the supplies for the rescue . This calls for a foraging trip to the fridge and then a hunting trip to the pantry. By the time I finish my hunt I have colored peppers, purple onion, kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese and grape tomatoes. Perfect.

I start the water and once the water is boiling profusely (this is how an Italian chef on Marco Island, Florida describes the water for making pasta) I add salt, then the cheese tortellini. At the right time, I taste a tortellini, it’s perfect.

Cheese Tortellini Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes turned out squisito{delicious}. I’m sure my mamma and papà are happy we used our tortellini and discovered a great new recipe.

Tutti a tavola è pronto.

Un caro salute e alla prossima.