Culinary Corner

What could be more glorious than cooking with, and for, friends, and enjoying good conversation & sunshine! That is what the culinary group did this past July 16 when the goal of the day was to create great food for friends, and yet do it an a stress-free way without being a slave to the kitchen.

We enjoyed Grilled Prawn & Chorizo Salad, Tortilla Ham Wraps, Spinach Salad and Spaghetti Salad - any combination of which would achieve your goal. You may want to try this Spaghetti Salad as part of a small buffet or as a side dish the next time you have friends coming. Serve it with chicken, ribs, chops - or whatever strikes your fancy! Best of all, don't be afraid to prepare it the day before. It's just as delicious after a day in the fridge!

Spaghetti Salad

Serves 8 as a starter or side

4 oz red wine vinegar
4 oz sun dried tomatoes (not in oil is preferable so rinse off oil)
4 oz extra virgin olive oil
a pinch of dried, crushed chilis (to taste) or could be 1/2 tsp for this amount
5 - 6 bruised garlic cloves
5 - 6 toothpicks to pierce garlic so it can be removed later
15 (or so) shredded basil leaves - shred by hand!
30 (or so) black olives, pitted, and halved
8 oz spaghetti - either wholewheat (healthier) or regular
salt to taste
handful of chopped flatleaf parsley

Method:
Heat vinegar with an equal amount of water. When boiling, pour over sundried tomatoes and leave to soak for at least 30 minutes. Dry on paper towels then cut into thin strips with scissors. Bring water to a boil with plenty of salt. Drop in pasta when boiling, then bring back to boil. Remove when not quite ready (according to package) and drain, retaining about 1/2 cup of the boiling water. Tip: if pasta package says 10 minutes, start checking at 8 - 9 minutes. Place in large bowl and add garlic on picks, olives, basil, tomatoes, chilis, some of the olive oil, and keep stirring. You can add some of the pasta water to moisten along with the oil. Stir frequently, and let sit for at least 2 - 3 hours to allow flavours to permeate. Stir in parsley at end before serving. And you can then remove the garlic (and their toothpicks!) before serving (the pasta will have absorbed the flavour by now).

The longer this sits, the better. It can be prepared the day before but brought back to room temperature before serving.

And although we didn't have a camera with us on the day, here's a photo of one of our classes from a few month's ago. Once activities get underway again in the fall, I do hope you'll join us!



Message posted by Anne Van Gieson