June 24, 2015

Blackberry Ginger Pasta Salad

Do you ever surprise yourself with your own creativity?

Me either.

But, one fine day, Jon called home and begged me to make a “yummy pasta salad.” And I was like, Heck no, I only want to make a nasty pasta salad. Because that’s how I roll. Yucktastic is where it’s at.

I kid, I kid.

I agreed to make his salad, and led him to believe that it was out of the goodness out of my heart, which we all know I don’t really have. Truth be told, I had been craving pasta salad myself. Plus, as part of my terribly cumbersome job, I needed to make a salad of some sort for Kerrygold, using wither their cheese or butter. I’m sure they had a leafy lettuce salad in mind, but – this one was so fresh and full of summery flavor, I knew it was the way to go.

Plus…carbs. Hello, I can’t have them often but when I do…well – I want them to taste like THIS..

Seriously, you guys, I don’t even know how I manage this struggle sometimes.

Being me, and being the freak of nature that I am, I did not want to leave the house to go to the store. So I didn’t. I worked with what I had in the fridge…kind of like my own little version of Chopped, just without all the drama and crying and hijacking of coveted herbs.

In the fridge?

Blackberries. Fresh Mozzarella. Cucumbers, a green pepper.

That was plenty.

What I came up with still haunts me – it was THAT impressive. Bursting with fresh flavor – a little sweet, and little salty. Perfect for a family potluck, for a brunch, or heck, for dinner.

Been there, done that.

No judging here.

Blackberry Ginger Pasta Salad

Ingredients

1 pound box rotini pasta
2 cups fresh blackberries, divided
2 tablespoons Dixie Crystals sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup melted Kerrygold butter
1 cucumber, chopped
1 green pepper, diced
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cubed
Kerrygold Dubliner, finely grated, to taste
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Instructions

Prepare pasta according to package instructions. Drain and cool.
While pasta is cooking, heat half of blackberries in small saucepan with the sugar and ginger. Cook over medium low heat for 10 minutes. Remove from heat; cool.
Strain the blackberries through a sieve, then combine with the vinegar and butter. Whisk until smooth.
In a large bowl, combine pasta, blackberry vinaigrette, cucumbers, peppers, and cheese. Season to taste. Serve chilled.