Chef Schultz’s Amazing Summer Cold Pasta Salad recipe

Chef’s Note: Summer is here, and you want to enjoy the outdoors and not be spending too much time in the kitchen cooking (Yeap, that me alright!). One of the simplest dishes I make is a cold pasta salad. Whether it’s for one person or when people visit or on an outing, cold pasta salads are always a hit, quick to make and store well in your refrigerator, just in case it is not eaten all up on the first sitting….no reheating required….Enjoy this summer cold pasta recipe.

Ingredients:

• 10 ounces of spiral pasta (cook according to a manufactures recommendation).

• 1/2 cup of fresh peas, or frozen peas
• 1/2 of a granny Smith diced apple

(Drizzle with a little bit of lemon juice and put aside).
• Half a cup of diced cubes cheddar or mozzarella

• 10 ounces of six sliced cooked ham pieces

(Dice and fry until the edges of the ham slightly turns brown. Place aside to cool). 

• Four tomatoes of your liking (cut into wedges) 

Chef’s Tip:

• To add flavour to your pasta, use half water and half chicken stock when cooking.

• Make sure the cooked pasta is drained after cooked and placed in the refrigerator to cool down and is cold before using it as outlined in this recipe.

• Make sure that the cooked vegetables (peas) and the cooked ham are cooled down and cold before mixing and serving.

• If using fresh peas, cock in water for 10 minutes and add a touch of salt to the water. 

Ingredients needed for the Yoghurt and Mayonnaise sauce:
• A small bowl
• 5 ounces of mayonnaise
• 5 ounces of yoghurt
• 3 tablespoons of white wine or white vinegar
• 3 ounces of chopped fresh dill (you can substitute parsley)

Mix all these ingredients together in your small bowl to create the pasta sauce for this dish.

Method

• Take a large bowl, add your pasta, cheese cubes, diced apples, cooked ham, peas and the yoghurt mayonnaise sauce. Mix all together. 

• Once your pasta, ingredients and your sauce are mixed and coated generously, put the pasta on your plate and decorate by placing your sliced tomatoes on the outside edge of the plate and corralling the pasta.

• Add salt and pepper over the tomatoes to your taste. 

• Place one hour in the fridge before serving 

This recipe should feed four grateful people in one sitting.

Chef Stephan Schulz works across Canada with corporations and with food brokers developing recipes for major restaurants and restaurant chains across Canada. Follow Chef Schulz on instagram for his daily recipe and plated photo posts: https://www.instagram.com/chef_schulz 

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