GRILLED CORN, TOMATO AND AVOCADO PASTA SALAD
We didn’t eat a lot of pasta growing up. We were a straight up meat and potatoes family (with an occasional rice dish rotating in), but come summer, my mom would make cold pasta salad—usually corkscrew pasta with halved cherry tomatoes, cubed mozzarella, and basil— that accompanied us to the pool for evening swims, to neighborhood potlucks and to our best friend’s annual Fourth of July party, where it would mingle with grilled burgers, magic bars and root beer.
I loved this salad, and yet, I have never had it since. I have also never made it for my kids, even though my kids LOVE pasta. So this week I gave it a go, with a quick toss up with slightly elevated ingredients from the garden, plus creamy California Avocados, a cheekier noodle (ditalini) and some Parmesan on top.
To really give it the treatment, you will want to grill the corn, shave it and toss it with cayenne, salt, pepper and parmesan cheese (ala street fair-style corn on the cob), then throw in tomatoes, sliced snap peas, radish, cucumber, a firm-ripe avocado plus tons of basil, and any other herbs--like mint, dill, chives or flowering cilantro--you happen to have on hand. This beauty of a summer side won’t disappoint.
By the way, for a grown-up summer date-night, you can serve this same meal all swirled into long, leggy spaghetti instead, but short noodles work best for packing up.
RECIPE, BELOW
DITALINI WITH GRILLED CORN, TOMATO, AVOCADO, AND FLOWERING HERBS
8 OZ DITALINI PASTA
2 EARS CORN ON THE COB
1 GARLIC CLOVE, MINCED OR PRESSED
¾ TEASPOON FINE SEA SALT
FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER
PINCH CAYENNE PEPPER
¼ CUP FINELY GRATED AGED PARMESAN, PLUS FOR GARNISH
¼ CUP EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
8 OUNCES CHERRY OR GRAPE TOMATOES, HALVED
PINCH RED PEPPER FLAKES
4 SMALL RADISH, THINLY SLICED
2 SMALL CUCUMBERS (PERSIAN OR CUCUMBER), THINLY SLICED
1 CUP SUGAR SNAP PEAS, CHOPPED
½ CUP SMALL BUT STURDY SALAD GREENS (LIKE ARUGULA, BABY KALE OR SORREL), OPTIONAL
1 FIRM RIPE CALIFORNIA AVOCADO, PITTED AND CUT IN SIXTHS, OR CHOPPED*
½ TO ¾ CUP TORN OR ROUGHLY CHOPPED CILANTRO, BASIL, MINT OR CHIVES
JUICE OF 1 LARGE LEMON
LIGHT THE GRILL OR A GRILL PAN TO MEDIUM HIGH. MEANWHILE, BRING A POT OF GENEROUSLY SALTED WATER TO A BOIL. ADD THE PASTA AND COOK UNTIL AL DENTE (8 TO 10 MINUTES); DRAIN. SET ASIDE.
GRILL THE CORN UNTIL EVENLY COOKED WITH SOME CHARRING, 5 TO 10 MINUTES, DEPENDING ON THE SIZE OF THE CORN AND THE FIRE. REMOVE AND COOL SLIGHTLY. USE A SERRATED KNIFE TO SHAVE THE CORN OFF THE COB INTO A BOWL. TOSS TOGETHER WITH THE MINCED GARLIC, ¼ TEASPOON OF THE SALT, BLACK PEPPER AND CAYENNE PEPPER. TOSS IN THE PARMESAN AND SET ASIDE.
MEANWHILE, HEAT THE OIL IN A MEDIUM SKILLET OVER MEDIUM HEAT. ADD THE TOMATOES AND RED PEPPER FLAKES AND TOSS OVER HEAT UNTIL THE TOMATOES RELEASE A LITTLE JUICE AND THE SHAPE JUST MELTS A BIT, 2 TO 3 MINUTES. REMOVE FROM THE HEAT AND COOL SLIGHTLY.
COMBINE THE PASTA, CORN MIXTURE, TOMATOES AND ALL OF THE OIL, CUCUMBERS, RADISH, SNAP PEAS, GREENS (IF USING), AND TOSS TO COMBINE. DIVIDE BETWEEN PLATES (OR PACK UP TO TAKE WITH YOU TO THE POOL, A PARTY OR THE BEACH). JUST BEFORE SERVING, ADD THE AVOCADO, AND SPRINKLE WITH HERBS. SQUEEZE THE LEMON OVER THE TOP AND SERVE AT ROOM TEMPERATURE, WITH EXTRA PARMESAN FOR SPRINKLING ON TOP. .
* To ensure you’re enjoying domestically grown California avocados, be sure the check for California on the label!
PREP TIME: 25 MINUTES
TOTAL TIME: 25 MINUTES
SERVES 4
This post is sponsored by the California Avocado Commission but all opinions are my own. Images belong to Sarah Copeland, and should not be pinned or posted without attribution. **
Photos + Styling // SARAH COPELAND
Glasses + Linens // CRATE + BARREL
Plate // LOST QUARRY