Wild Firebrand

Yes, I know it’s Antipasto.

Anyway, this is one of your dad’s favorites — without potatoes, garlic, or bacon!

As you know, in the summer, your dad doesn’t really have an appetite because it’s too hot outside. Apparently, his people use the weather to determine their hunger, but I digress. In the summer, as temps rise, he wants something else for his daily lunches so instead of Sunday Dinner, I make it Antipasta Salad. COLD. I make it on Sundays and he packs it in his daily lunch storage containers to take to work. It’s bright and fresh and full of flavor….and again, served cold.

The ingredients are pretty basic — garden rotini with all the pretty colors, basil pesto chicken, salami, tomatoes, olives with feta cheese, mozzarella balls, and lemon vinaigrette. If I’m lucky enough to have some basil from my garden, I’ll add some of that too. Fresh is best.

I use about half the mozzarella balls and half the grape tomatoes in the package, but you do you, darlings! I cut the balls and tomatoes in half and sprinkle garden basil over them. Make sure you taste as you go. 😉

Once you cut them, scrape them into a bowl and add all the olives/feta from the package. INCLUDE ALL THE OIL AND HERBS — so good!!! Remember, flavor layers!!

Add some peppered salami — I like to cut it into bite size pieces while the chicken cooks and the pasta boils. Your dad can leave it out, but I like the ‘bite of pepper’ among the other softer flavors. If you prefer pepperoni, or coppa, or whatever you like. (Honestly, you can add anything that you would normally find in antipasto — artichoke hearts, pepperoncini, sun-dried tomatoes, anchovies, whatever you like!!!)

Drain the pasta. Chop the chicken — roughly into bite size chunks.

Add it to the bowl. Pour enough lemon vinaigrette over the mix to keep the pasta moist, but not so much that it swims, ya know? Then pop that into the fridge and serve cold. SO GOOD when it’s HOT OUTSIDE!

Love you each so very much. And, I’m so proud of the people you are — you’re smart, funny, loyal, kind, and accomplished. You’re wonderful humans and my heart swells with knowing you! MWAH! Your momma.