Spaghetti Salad from Martha

    • Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
    • 1/2 pound thin spaghetti
    • 1/2 small red onion, quartered lengthwise and sliced crosswise (about 1/3 cup)
    • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
    • 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
    • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
      • 1/2 English cucumber, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 3/4 cup)
      • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
      • 1/4 cup kalamata olives (about 10), pitted and halved
      • 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
      • 1/4 cup packed parsley leaves
      • 3 ounces crumbled feta (about3/4 cup)1 medium bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 1 cup)

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente, 9 to 10 minutes. Drain, and let cool slightly.

  • While pasta is cooking, stir together onion, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and oil. Season vinaigrette with 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and sugar.

  • In a large bowl, combine pasta, bell pepper, cucumber, tomatoes, olives, capers, and vinaigrette. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.

  • Toss pasta with parsley and feta. Re-season, if desired, before serving.

 

Soba Salad With Seaweed, Cucumbers, and Asparagus from serious eats

  • 1 pound asparagus, 20150605-seaweed-pasta-salad-daniel-gritzer-13-thumb-625xauto-423921woody ends trimmed
  • 1/2 ounce dried wakame seaweed (see note above)
  • 300 grams (about 10 1/2 ounces) dried soba noodles
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1/4 cup fresh juice from 2 lemons
  • 2 tablespoons canola, vegetable, or grapeseed oil
  • 1 (1 1/2-inch) knob fresh peeled ginger, grated
  • 1 large English cucumber, ends trimmed, quartered lengthwise, and thinly sliced into quarter-moons
  • 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, plus more for garnish
  • 2 scallions, white and light green parts thinly sliced on the bias
  • Kosher salt

  1. Place wakame in a medium bowl and cover with plenty of warm water. Let stand until softened and rehydrated (about 10 minutes), then transfer to a fine mesh strainer to drain. In a large pot of salted boiling water, blanch asparagus until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Using tongs, transfer to an ice-water bath to chill. Slice chilled asparagus into 1 1/2-inch lengths on a slight bias.

  2. In a new pot of salted boiling water, cook soba noodles until tender, according to package instructions. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold running water until chilled.

  3. In a small mixing bowl, stir together soy sauce, sesame oil, lemon juice, canola oil, and ginger. Drain wakame and squeeze out excess water with your hands.

  4. In a large bowl, combine soba noodles, asparagus, wakame, cucumber, sesame seeds, and scallions and toss well. Season with salt and serve, sprinkling more sesame seeds on individual plates, if desired.