Spring Sweet Pea Pasta Salad Recipes

Steps:

• Make the dressing: Whisk together the vinegar, mustard, olive oil, hazelnut oil, pepper, shallot and salt to taste in a small bowl. Adjust the seasonings. Set aside.
• Make the salad: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with salt until the water tastes slightly of salted broth. Prepare an ice bath.
• Blanch the English peas and snap peas separately, for about 10 seconds each. Shock in the ice water and drain on paper towels. Cut the snap peas into thirds.
• In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over low heat. Tear the Jamon Serrano slices into bite-sized pieces and add to the oil in the skillet. Cook until crispy on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes total. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
• Assemble the salad: Toss the English peas, snap peas, pea shoots and snow peas with the vinaigrette to taste. Plate the salad and top with the Manchego, toasted hazelnuts and crispy jamon.

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. In three large bowls, combine the pasta, carrots, peas, celery and onion. , In another large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Stir a third of the dressing into each bowl of pasta mixture. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine peas, celery, cauliflower and onions. Combine dressing and sour cream; pour over salad and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Just before serving, stir in bacon and sunflower kernels.

Steps:

• Cook the peas according to directions on package; drain thoroughly.
• In a bowl, mix together sour cream, dill, chives, curry powder, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Carefully combine with peas.
• Chill and serve on a bed of crisp salad greens. Garnish with more dill or chives, if desired.
• Makes 8 servings.
• NOTE: Time does not include chill time.

Steps:

• Cook pasta for 12 minutes; then drain. (I add a bit of vegetable oil to the water before it comes to a boil, so pasta doesn't stick together).
• Rinse pasta under cold water, and drain pasta well.
• In a large bowl mix together, the sweetened condensed milk, mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, buttermilk, salt and pepper.
• Place in refrigerator til ready to mix salad ingredients together.
• When ready to assemble salad together, in a medium sized bowl, add some of the pasta, some of the carrots, a teaspoon or so of the diced red onion, a third of the diced celery, and some of the dressing; mix together gently with a spatula.
• Add salad mixture to a "very" large size bowl, (I used my largest Tupperware bowl; total capacity: 32 cups) cuz this recipe does make an enormous amount of salad.
• Toss a few peas, over the salad.
• Repeat mixing the pasta, carrots, onion and celery together, (in small amounts) in the medium sized bowl along with the dressing, then place on top of the salad in the "very" large size bowl, along with some of the peas.
• Keep layering til all the ingredients are used up; ending with peas ontop of the salad.
• Cover the bowl, and chill salad for several hours in the refrigerator, or overnight.
• Before serving, be sure to stir the salad.
• This salad keeps well for several days in the refrigerator.
• *Note: For this recipe, I substituted matchstix (French-Cut Cooking Carrots) for the shredded carrots. You can find these in your produce section. It came in a (10 oz.) bag, but I only use 3/4's of the bag, about (8 oz).