Pasta Salad With Pesto
By: Anonymous
Published: Monday, December 21, 2009 - 2:57am

Ingredients




3/4 pound pasta, cooked al dente (lg. curly type)
3/8 cup mayonnaise
1 pound frozen peas, thawed
drained
4 ounces Swiss cheese, cut into julienne strips
4 ounces salami, cut into julienne strips
1 pound pesto sauce (recipe follows)
Kosher salt
black pepper to taste
5 ounces spinach, fresh, stems removed
3/4 ounce parsley, fresh, stems removed
1/2 cup basil, dry
1 1/2 ounces Parmesan, shredded
2 cloves garlic
1 ounce walnuts
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon fennel seed
2 1/2 ounces tuna, drained
1 1/2 strips anchovies
1 3/4 cups olive oil
3/4 cup salad oil

Preparation

1 SALAD: Cook noodles 10 to 12 minutes until al dente. Taste often to be sure noodles do not overcook. Drain. Blanch with cold water to stop cooking process. Place pasta, peas, Swiss and salami in large bowl. Coat salad with mayonnaise. Then, add pesto sauce and stir until coated. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish salad with thinly sliced roasted red bell pepper. 2 PESTO SAUCE: Put spinach, parsley and basil in processor. Process 3 to 5 minutes until consistency is like paste. Add Parmesan, garlic, walnuts, salt and pepper, fennel, tuna and anchovies. Process 1 more minute. Slowly pour in olive oil through feed tube while process is running. Next drizzle in salad oil. Process 1 more minute until smooth and thick. 3 NOTE: This recipe takes some preparation and requires some not so common ingredients but it's well worth the effort.