Dirty Martini Pasta Salad

 

 

Warmer sunnier days means that it is salad season!  I love salad season. I love comfort food season as well, but I do like eating lighter meals in the warmer months. I especially love pasta salads.  They combine the pleasures of summer eating with light and fresh flavors along with a touch of the heartier comfort eating of pasta.

Pasta light, without heavy sauces, etc. Just right for pairing with grilled meats, poultry and fish, or cold cuts. Perfect for taking on picnics, or to potlucks and buffet suppers.

This recipe I am sharing with you today for a Dirty Martini Pasta Salad is one which I have adapted from a site called Grilled Cheese Social.

 

It looked and sounded delicious. I really like pasta. I love green olives. I positively adore blue cheese.  When I saw those three ingredients, I was all in! 

Now I have never ever had a Martini, let alone a Dirty Martini.  I think the recipe for this pasta salad is a take on the viral recipe for Dirty Martini Pasta, a hot pasta dish, that I never even knew existed until I looked it up just now.  Viral?  Hmm.  If they say so!  I must have been living under a rock because I have never heard of it. Maybe it's a generational thing!

 

I think a dirty martini is a martini that has olive brine added to it.  This pasta salad has olive brine added to it. But in addition to that there is lemon zest and juice, chopped parsley, quality green olives, blue cheese crumbles and a zesty garlic dressing. I created a homemade one to enjoy here.

I didn't have the pinenuts called for in the recipe. They are not something I tend to keep on hand.  They are expensive and they don't keep for long.  I used toasted flaked almonds, and they worked perfectly. I am a great believer in adapting recipes to what you have on hand and not going out to buy special ingredients if you don't really need to!

Altogether this makes for one very delicious salad that I think you will enjoy. At least I hope that you will! It is also a small batch recipe, designed to make two delicious servings. Very easily doubled or tripled to feed more.  Just ask.

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE DIRTY MARTINI PASTA SALAD

Just a few simple ingredients.  Make sure you use the best quality of everything, and you will be sure to have a very delicious salad! Quantities are for two servings but can easily be doubled or tripled to serve more.

• 1/4 pound (4 ounces/115g) uncooked pasta (I used mafalda)
• 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped (a small handful)
• 1/2 cup (90g) good quality pitted green olives (I used castelvatrano)
• 2 TBS olive brine from the bottle
• 1/4 cup (28g) crumbled blue cheese
• 1 TBS toasted pinenuts (I used flaked almonds)
• the zest of 1/2 medium lemon
• 2 TBS fresh lemon juice
• 3 TBS creamy garlic salad dressing (see recipe notes)
• flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

 

You can use any pasta shape to make this salad. I would avoid long flat ones. You want to use a pasta that will hug the dressing and other bits.

If you don't have any flat leaf parsley, you can use curly parsley and failing that you could also use baby arugula, or rocket as it is called in the U.K. This will add a lovely punchiness.  I love the peppery almost meaty flavor of rocket.

I buy my Castelvatrano olives online. You cannot find them in the shops here where I live.  I usually buy two jars at a time. I use them a lot. They are great on pizzas, in salads and I make a really wonderful Lemon & Green Olive Pasta dish that uses them.

The garlic salad dressing that was mentioned in the original recipe was not available here for you to buy, but I like to make my own salad dressings from scratch anyways and so have included a delicious recipe for a garlic salad dressing in the notes section of the recipe.

I used toasted almonds instead of the pinenuts called for in the original recipe. They worked beautifully. I just toasted them briefly in a 350*F/180*C oven on a sheet pan for about 5 to 8 minutes. Keep an eye on them as they can burn in a nano-second!

 

HOW TO MAKE DIRTY MARTINI PASTA SALAD

This is really very simple and quick to make.  It makes a great lunch on its own or a fabulous side dish! It also goes wonderfully with burgers!  Be sure to check out the recipe notes to learn how to make your own fabulously delicious garlic dressing! The dressing will keep for up to two weeks in a covered jar in the refrigerator.

Cook your pasta according to the package directions. (Mine said 9 minutes.) Drain well, rinse in cold water and drain again. Put into a bowl.

 

Make your garlic dressing while the pasta is cooking.

Add the chopped parsley, olives, olive brine, blue cheese, toasted nuts, lemon zest and lemon juice. Toss well together.

Add the garlic dressing. Toss together again.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and enjoy!

 

TO MAKE THE CREAMY GARLIC DRESSING:

1/2 cup (120ml) light olive oil

1/4 cup (60ml) white wine vinegar

2 cloves of garlic peeled and minced

1 TBS honey

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/2 TBS chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Put all of the ingredients into a small blender and blitz together until well combined and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning as required. Keep refrigerated in a covered jar.

 

This salad did not disappoint.  It had a lovely fresh vibrant flavor. I loved the punchy saltiness of the olives and the tang of the blue cheese. Flaked almonds were a good choice to use instead of the pinenuts. Not everyone has pinenuts in the house and they are quite expensive for what you get anyways.

I did really enjoy this. If you are a fan of olives and blue cheese, this is the salad for you!  It would be great served alongside of any kind of grilled meat, poultry or fish. 

 

I do love pasta salads in the warmer months. They are great to take to BBQ's or Buffet suppers. On hot days they make a great side to cold cuts or grilled meats, fish or poultry.  Here are a few other favorites of mine that I think you might also enjoy!

  

CINDY'S TUNA PASTA SALAD - My sister makes the best tuna pasta salad, with plenty of macaroni pasta, sweet English peas, good tuna, celery and spring onions.  A simple mayo dressing. Its a real family favorite at all of our cookouts and cold buffet suppers!

GREEK PASTA SALAD - All the flavors of your favorite Greek Salad in a delicious Pasta salad, with fresh crisp cucumbers, ripe tomatoes, red onions, kalamata olives, plenty of parsley and a delicious red wine herbed dressing.  Oh, and pasta twists, which while not exactly traditional, make this a fabulously tasty and hearty salad! Simple and delicious.

Yield: Serves 2

Author: Marie Rayner

Dirty Martini Pasta Salad

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 25 Min

A delicious quick to make and simple pasta salad that is loaded with flavors and textures. This is quite simply delicious!

Ingredients

• 1/4 pound (4 ounces/115g) uncooked pasta (I used mafalda)
• 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped (a small handful)
• 1/2 cup (90g) good quality pitted green olives (I used castelvatrano)
• 2 TBS olive brine from the bottle
• 1/4 cup (28g) crumbled blue cheese
• 1 TBS toasted pinenuts (I used flaked almonds)
• the zest of 1/2 medium lemon
• 2 TBS fresh lemon juice
• 3 TBS creamy garlic salad dressing (see recipe notes)
• flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Cook your pasta according to the package directions. (Mine said 9 minutes.) Drain well, rinse in cold water and drain again. Put into a bowl.
2. Make your garlic dressing while the pasta is cooking.
3. Add the chopped parsley, olives, olive brine, blue cheese, toasted nuts, lemon zest and lemon juice. Toss well together.
4. Add the garlic dressing. Toss together again.
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper and enjoy!

Notes

TO MAKE THE CREAMY GARLIC DRESSING:

1/2 cup (120ml) light olive oil

1/4 cup (60ml) white wine vinegar

2 cloves of garlic peeled and minced

1 TBS honey

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/2 TBS chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Put all of the ingredients into a small blender and blitz together until well combined and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning as required. Keep refrigerated in a covered jar.

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