Recipe #6 - Main Dish Salad - Mediterranean Pesto Pasta Salad with Grilled Salmon

In late summer, when basil is plentiful and relatively inexpensive, we make a large quantity of pesto and put one-recipe amounts in sandwich bags and freeze them. That way, any time the rest of the year when we decide to make a dish that requires it, we have instant access to wonderful pesto.

Makes 4 servings.

2/3 lb. dried farfalle pasta

12 spears fresh asparagus

1.5 cups freshly made basil pesto (recipe follows)
20 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
20 kalamata olives
Salt & pepper to taste

1.5 lb. fresh, wild sockeye or king salmon fillets
1/4 cup red wine
3 Tbsp. canola oil
1 tsp. each dried oregano, basil, thyme & herbes de provence

4 cups clean mixed mesclun salad greens
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. crumbled feta cheese
Salt & pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add the pasta. Cook according to package directions until al dente (probably 11 or 12 minutes). When you have a couple minutes left of cooking time, toss the asparagus spears in to cook them briefly. Drain in a colander, pick out the asparagus and set aside. Toss the pasta with a little olive oil so it doesn't stick while cooling and you're prepping the rest of the recipe.

Carefully pick any bones out of the salmon with needle-nose pliers. in a large zippered storage bag, place the wine, oil and herbs. Slosh it around a bit to mix it up well. Put the salmon in the bag and make sure to get it coated well with marinade. Seal the bag and put in the refrigerator while you continue to work with the salad.

For the salad dressing, place the lemon juice, olive oil and the tablespoon of feta in a small jar and shake vigorously to mix. Add salt and pepper to taste, keeping in mind that feta cheese already has salt in it.

Once the pasta has cooled to near room temperature, place it in a large mixing bowl along with the pesto, tomatoes, 1/2 cup feta, and olives. Mix gently but well with a large spoon. Season with salt and pepper, although since feta cheese and kalamata olives already have a high salt content, you may not need to add any at all.

Prepare the grill to medium high heat. Remove the salmon from the marinade and grill until cooked through, about five minutes per side, but that of course will vary based on grill temperature and fish thickness.

To serve, decoratively flay three spears of asparagus on each of four dinner plates. Put a mound of pasta salad in the center of the plate and lay a fillet of grilled salmon alongside it. Add several tablespoons of the lemon-feta vinaigrette to the greens and toss lightly to coat. Place a mound of the dressed greens on the plate opposite the salmon and serve.

BASIL PESTO

Fistful of fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
8 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and buzz it until it becomes a smooth paste, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. Adjust flavors as appropriate. (If you want a more pronounced garlic flavor, throw in a few extra cloves. Same goes for the other ingredients.) If the pesto seems too thick, add more olive oil. Store in an airtight jar or sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator, or freeze for later use.