CEiMB - Whole Wheat Pasta Salad with Walnuts and Feta Cheese


Kayte is one of my favorite blogging friends and we are in several cooking groups together.  I love going to her blog because there is always something good to whet my appetite on there!  Check it out and see what her version of this week's salad is.

I do not, however, love whole wheat pasta, so the only substitution I made in this recipe was that I used tri-colored regular pasta. Plus, the different colors in it excite me.  I don't know why!  I paired this with a rotiserrie chicken and Chan loved the pasta!  He wanted to eat the entire bowl of pasta but I made him pace himself.  I had to keep reminding him that we had dessert which was coming later.

I know there are all different types of cooks out there and we all have our own way of doing things.  For me, I like to get all my ingredients out on the countertop before I even begin to read how to put the recipe together.  Sort of like Rachel Ray.  I also love that she has a garbage bowl right beside her.  I use the small side of my sink to dump my garbage in.  Same principle I guess.  I would love to hear what your routine is!

This is just another example of why I love being in these cooking clubs.  I probably would never have even noticed this recipe had Kayte not chosen it, but now that I have actually made it, I will definitely have this on my rewind list to make again and again.  Thanks Kayte!

I saw this on the internet and since it is just a little past Halloween, and since Chan wanted to eat the entire bowl of pasta, I thought I would share this story with you all.  I loved it.  Let me know if you have read it before.

The Legend of Strega Nona

Strega Nona is a traditional Italian fairy tale about a witch who has a magic pasta pot. The magic quality of Strega Nona's pot is that it produces pasta at her command. The young boy who serves her can't get enough and he secretly longs for Strega Nona's power over the pot. In secret, he watches Strega Nona as she casts her spell over the pot.
When Strega Nona is called away on an errand the boy gets his chance. He is finally alone with the magic pot! Before the witch leaves she warns her servant to stay away fom the pot. Of course the minute she is gone, the boy trys the spell and sure enough the pot begins producing delicious pasta.
The pot keeps producing pasta as fast as the boy eats it. Even though he has a strong appetite, eventually the boy gets full. He suddenly realizes that he doesn't know how to stop the pot. The pasta soon fills up the house and floods out the windows and doors and begins travelling toward town. The boy keeps trying to stop the spell, but the pot just keeps producing pasta. Hope is lost until at the last second, Strega Nona returns and "uncasts" the spell.

Comments

Bri said…
Loved the story! I can't get enough pasta; I guess sometimes I wish I had a neverending supply of pasta, too! And if I had this pasta salad on hand all the time, I'd be a happy camper; this was a huge hit. I, too, probably would have passed this one by if not for this group. Oh, and when I cook, I'm usually like a whirlwind, running around the kitchen all disorganized. I really need to get a good system going.
Joanne said…
Oh Wow! In my worst dreams that could happen to me! Witches and spells - nasty, nasty, nasty. You're bound to get caught every time.

The salad was fantastic. I was toying with using the tri-color but then the multi-grain farfalle screamed my name from the grocery store shelf. I told it to "shut up" and tossed it in the cart.
Week after week, you share the most amazing photos. I love coming here.

The story is such a nice addition. I would tell it to my class except the happy ending, so quicly would disappoint them. I have to fill in some drama.

Now you know, where I get my best teaching examples.
Kayte said…
Ah, you are so sweet...I love coming over here and seeing your creations as well...fun to see how each of us does the same recipe. I love all the spinach in yours, I had to go easy on the spinach because the guys are much more likely to eat the spinach if I don't mix it in the pasta...they like them separate for some reason. Oh, well, at least they eat them both. We all loved this recipe, so I am happy to hear that you did as well. Very adaptable isn't it? Guys requested tomatoes with it sometime as they thought it needed color...okay, tomatoes it is! Loved the little pasta pot story. Remember that one for your little granddaughter...soon enough she will love it, too!
Kayte said…
Ah, you are so sweet...I love coming over here and seeing your creations as well...fun to see how each of us does the same recipe. I love all the spinach in yours, I had to go easy on the spinach because the guys are much more likely to eat the spinach if I don't mix it in the pasta...they like them separate for some reason. Oh, well, at least they eat them both. We all loved this recipe, so I am happy to hear that you did as well. Very adaptable isn't it? Guys requested tomatoes with it sometime as they thought it needed color...okay, tomatoes it is! Loved the little pasta pot story. Remember that one for your little granddaughter...soon enough she will love it, too!
Anonymous said…
Great story! I am also not a fan of whole wheat pasta, so I used the Ronzoni Smart Taste penne. This was a hit here as well.
TeaLady said…
Sounds like the Sorcerer's Apprentice....

This was pretty good. Better than I expected. I used the Tri-color pasta too. Good stuff.

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