I posted a few weeks ago that I needed an idea for a pasta salad for a
potluck I'm attending next weekend. I just couldn't come up with anything
that really seemed different to me. Until tonight. I did a search on
www.recipelink.com and found the following.

The following recipe seems like exactly what I was looking for. Simple,
recognizable pasta salad but--a little bit extra-ordinary.

But I'm wondering about the dressing....
Should I use the powdered ginger the recipe calls for, or should I get
fresh? And how much fresh equals how much dried? Would you use the cider
vinegar it calls for, or would a plain rice wine vinegar be more flavorful
and authentic? And what about sesame? Would adding a drop of sesame oil and
some toasted sesame seeds be gilding the lily???? I know to use sesame oil
very sparingly.

I realize I'm proposing changing the dressing recipe, but I'm looking for
something that will knock people's socks off, so if it can be improved...all
the better. I am definitely keeping the veggie mixture the same, except I
will probably use grape tomatoes rather than diced because I like how they
look better. I might use sugar snap peas, rather than plain old
peas...again, looks. And I will probably not use shells, I am thinking
bedsprings (Ronzoni calls it Rotini), or perhaps cavatappi (which are
corkscrews but larger and hollow). And I'll use two pounds of pasta and
twice as much veggies and dressing--this will be a BIG crowd.

Here's the recipe. How can we take it from good to GREAT????
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o:* Picnics, Camping, Outdoor Cooking at Recipelink.com

From:*Terry,Tx*5-28-1998

In reply to:* ISO pasta salads




Garden Vegetable Pasta Salad

Keep your summer easy and breezy with this colorful cold salad.
Prep Time: 20 min.
Start to Finish: 25 min. + chilling time

€4 cups (12 oz.) SKINNER Medium Shells, uncooked
€HONEY-GINGER DRESSING (recipe follows)
€1 cup thinly sliced carrot
€1 cup peeled and seeded cucumber, sliced and quartered
€1 cup frozen peas, thawed
€1 cup sliced radishes
€1 cup diced fresh tomato
€1/2 cup sliced green onion

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Rinse with cold water to
cool quickly; drain well. Meanwhile, prepare DRESSING. Stir together cooled
pasta, vegetables and dressing; salt and pepper to taste. Cover;
refrigerate. 12 servings (about 1 cup each).

HONEY-GINGER DRESSING: In medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup EACH cider
vinegar and vegetable oil, 1/4 cup honey, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh
cilantro, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 2 teaspoons minced garlic and 1
teaspoon ground ginger.