Best Greek pasta salad

I absolutely love Bulgarian pure sheep's milk feta, but you can use any type of feta you'd like. However, I chose Bulgarian because I prefer a rich, buttery feta to compliment the lemon and walnut oil dressing I made the salad with. If you do use a more acidic, pungent, feta, I would suggest cutting back on the lemon juice.

You will need:

Half a package of farfalle (6 oz)
8 oz. sheep's milk feta
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup walnut oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 small-ish Roma tomatoes, diced
8 large fresh basil leaves, chiffoned
2 teaspoons fresh dill, minced
2 teaspoons fresh chives, minced
Salt & pepper to taste

1. Boil pasta as directed. I like to take a minute or two off the cooking time for my pasta, since I like it al dente, and it'll keep cooking once I start mixing everything in a stainless steel bowl.

2. Drain pasta, toss in large bowl with walnut oil, lemon, garlic, and feta, and incorporate so that the feta has melted into the hot pasta a bit. Add the rest of the ingredients, sans tomatoes, and chill for 20-30 minutes. Add diced tomatoes, and here is where I threw in some leftover caramelized onions I made yesterday (such a good idea), and serve!

Treats to keep you wired

You'll need a pot of coffee (4-5 cups), 3-4 tablespoons superfine sugar (to your liking), 1/4 cup heavy cream, and 1 shot amaretto/kahlua.

Brew the coffee, stir in the sugar, and allow it to get cold (30-40 minutes).
Pour it into a baking pan (or two), making sure that it's less than half an inch deep- any deeper and it won't freeze properly.

Every hour for 4-5 hours scrape the frozen coffee with a spatula to break it up, then pat it down into place and stick it back in the freezer- it will start to resemble sno-cone ice.

Five minutes before serving, whip the cream with a sprinkling of sugar and the shot of liquor until stiff peaks form. Pile the iced coffee into tall glasses and top with a dollop of whipped cream. Voila! After-dinner coffee for summer nights.

Eat well,

Amanda

Currently eating

I'm here again to share with you kids yummy tidbits.

One package of whole wheat tortelli (or whatever pasta you'd like that serves two people)
3 tablespoons butter
8 sage leaves
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 garlic clove, halved

While your pasta cooks, melt butter in a sautee pan and continue cooking until it turns light golden brown. Add garlic, sage leaves, and nutmeg and remove from heat after thirty seconds. Add lemon juice and set aside. Remove the garlic cloves, and use to rub onto freshly toasted bread to serve with the dish. Drain the pasta, but leaving some cooking water, and gently pour into sautee pan and return to heat. Add the cheese, toss to coat and serve immediately.

Post-dinner thoughts: needs more nutmeg. And maybe peppercorns? Mike gave a mouth-full thumbs-up, however. It was a good meal.

Love,
Amanda