Antipasto Pasta Salad

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1/2 lb rotini pasta (corkscrew-shaped pastas) or 1/2 lb fusilli (corkscrew-shaped pastas)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 tablespoon dijon-style mustard
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 ounce sun-dried tomato, not packed in oil, soaked in hot water for 5 minutes and drained well
• 1/4 lb smoked mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 8 ounces canned garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/4 ounces sliced hard salami, cut into julienne strips
• 5 -10 bottled small pepperoncini peppers (pickled tuscan peppers)
• 1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced

Recipe

• 1 in a kettle of boiling salted water cook the rotini until it is tender and drain.
• 2 refresh the pasta under cold water and drain well.
• 3 in a blender blend the garlic, the mustard, the vinegars, the water, the oil, and salt, to taste, until the dressing is emulsified.
• 4 in a very large bowl toss the pasta well with the dressing and stir in the sun-dried tomatoes, the mozzarella, the garbanzos, the salami, the tuscan peppers, the red pepper flakes, and the parsley.
• 5 chill the salad, covered, for 1 hour.
• 6 the salad may be made 2 days in advance and kept covered and chilled.