Pesto Pasta Salad

Considering today's post marks the halfway point for summer and blog posts, it seems fitting that I ended up making something for a small party that my mom had tonight. After the weekly yoga class in our living room, it was all about the frozen margaritas and good food to bring everyone together for one last yogi summer celebration. So with a pasta salad request from my mom I thought I would make some more pesto and use it to make a fresh summer pasta dish to be served cold. 

Pesto Pasta Salad 

2 pounds bowtie pasta 

1 batch homemade pesto (check out that recipe in an earlier blog post) 

3 ears corn 

2 red bell peppers 

Salt 

Pepper 

Cayenne peper

1 small container cherry tomatoes - halved 

Shaved parmesan cheese 

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta for 11-12 minutes or till al dente. While that cooks, cut the red pepper into large chunks and rub with olive oil, salt and pepper and grill till lightly charred and soft. Shuck the corn and rub with olive oil, salt, pepper and a small amount of cayenne pepper and grill with the bell peppers. Once the peppers and corn are cooked, slice the peppers into thin strips and cut the corn kernels off the cob. Once pasta is cooked, toss with a little bit of olive oil to prevent sticking. Then stir in the pesto to coat the pasta and add the peppers, corn, tomatoes and a small amount of parmesan cheese. Store in the refrigerator for an hour or so and serve cold. 

With summer half over, it seems like a sign that I can start thinking about moving back into the dorms in the fall. So I can now justify spending the rest of my free time online shopping for things I need for my dorm and new clothes for the school year. Some people may say it's a bit early, but I argue that it is never too early to think about the things you need to buy to start the school year off right. So till next time, 

Keep Cooking Brooklyn!