This pasta salad is the perfect match for poached or grilled salmon.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup vodka
- ¼ cup bloody mary mix
- Pinch saffron threads
- 1 pound farfalle pasta
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ cup celery, chopped
- ½ cup onions, chopped
- ½ cup carrots, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 head fennel, stalks trimmed
- 2 cups Pinot Grigio
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 12 ounces Roth Dill Havarti, cubed
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Method
- Marinate sun-dried tomatoes in vodka and bloody mary mix for several hours or overnight. Strain and reserve sun-dried tomatoes.
- Add saffron to 2 quarts of boiling water and bring to boil.
- Cook pasta in saffron water for 1-2 minutes less than package directions for al dente.
- Drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Refrigerate pasta until assembly of salad.
- Heat olive oil in a large pan; sauté celery, onions, carrots and garlic for 5 minutes or until slightly softened and translucent.
- Place head of fennel over sautéed vegetables. Cover with wine and chicken stock, bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 25-30 minutes or until fennel is tender but still firm.
- Remove fennel from pan and cut into ¾-inch cubes.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine pasta with fennel, sautéed vegetables, sun-dried tomatoes, red onion, Roth Dill Havarti, mayonnaise, dill, lemon juice, salt and pepper and toss well to combine.