Pasta and Bacon Salad

I recently brought this wonderful summer salad to a neighborhood barbecue, our first since moving to our new home. The salad fit in well with lots of other delicious dishes. Lots of good cooks here!

No ordinary pasta salad, this. Creamy and delicious, it can be made ahead, and leftovers—if there are any—last a good while. Serve as a side dish or a main course salad. Ingredient amounts aren't critical, so feel free to adjust them to your taste.

PASTA and BACON SALAD

½-¾ lb. bacon slices
12 oz. elbow macaroni, fusilli, or other bite-sized pasta
2 cups mayonnaise
½ cup (or more) buttermilk
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 Tbs. sugar
1 10-16 oz. bag of frozen peas, rinsed and drained
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

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1. Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat or in microwave until crisp, turning occasionally. Transfer to paper towels and cool. Coarsely chop bacon.

2. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Rinse under cold water and drain well.

3. Make dressing by whisking the mayonnaise, ½ cup of buttermilk, lemon juice, mustard, and sugar in a large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Fold pasta, peas, and bacon into dressing and serve. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Toss with more buttermilk if dry. Let stand 1 hour before continuing.)

Orecchiette with Tuna, Peas, Cannellini Beans, and Mushrooms

Orecchiette, which means "little ears" in Italian, is a wonderful pasta for trapping tiny, tasty morsels. In this dish, those morsels include tuna, peas, mushrooms, and cannellini beans simmered in a white wine sauce. We gobbled up this dish at our last writers’ meeting, and everyone had seconds. (We served a veggie cheese along with the Parmesan for our veggie friends.) A Five Star Yum!

ORECCHIETTE with TUNA, PEAS, CANNELLINI BEANS, and MUSHROOMS

8 oz. sliced white mushrooms             1 15-oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed
6 Tbs. olive oil                                                   and drained
1-2 large shallots, chopped                   A splash of lemon juice
6-8 cloves garlic, minced                      ½ lb. orecchiette
4 cans solid white tuna in water          Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth       Fresh chopped parsley
½ cup dry white wine                            Freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano
1 tsp. dry oregano                                                  cheese
1 10-oz. pkg. frozen peas                                    

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1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tsp. salt.

2. Rinse peas briefly and drain. Don’t worry if they aren’t completely thawed.

3. Heat 1 Tbs. olive oil in deep frying pan. Over medium high heat, sauté mushrooms in oil until they give off their liquid and start to brown. Remove mushrooms from pan and set aside.

4. In same pan, heat remaining 5 Tbs. olive oil. Sauté shallots until they are soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and stir for 1 minute.

5. Stir in wine and broth. Bring to a boil and simmer about 13 minutes. Stir in beans, peas, and mushrooms. Season to taste with salt and pepper and let sit while pasta is cooking.

6. Cook pasta according to package directions, which should take about 11 minutes.

7. Drain pasta and add to bean mixture. Reheat briefly, add drained and chopped tuna, a splash of lemon juice, and parsley. Serve with crusty bread, salad, and your favorite white wine. Pass cheese separately. Generously serves 4-6.