Spinach, Feta and Pasta Salad

by Hilary Gauntt on October 9, 2013

Pat Randall has been a friend for over 30 years; you wouldn’t guess from her slender figure that she is such an excellent cook.   Truly a lovely lady in every sense!  She gave me this recipe a decade ago, and noted that Kim had given it to her 20 years before that! It’s a classic that will never go out of style.  It’s hard to estimate how many people it serves, but will overflow your largest salad bowl!  I brought this to a reunion with our cousins at Del Mar beach last weekend.. a scorching hot day with the Santa Ana winds blowing our umbrellas over. The highlight of the day for my 86 year old Mother was realizing that her sister Barbara’s great granddaughter Elise is the spitting image of my Mom as a child. It’s a thrill to witness the mysteries of the gene pool….

Dressing

3/4 cup olive oil

3/4 cup champagne or white wine vinegar

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

salt and pepper

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Mix the above ingredients together for the dressing and refrigerate.

 

1 pound medium sized shell pasta

3 hard boiled eggs, sieved

2 pounds baby spinach, or a combination of spinach and other greens

3 large tomatoes-chopped

1 bunch scallions -chopped

1 cup feta cheese -crumbled

2 cucumbers-thinly sliced

1 cup pine nuts, toasted.

Cook pasta with a small amount of olive oil.  Drain and then mix with 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the dressing and refrigerate.

In a large bowl, combine all the vegetables.  Add the refrigerated pasta and toss with remaining dressing. Top with eggs and pine nuts.

Note:  Two pounds of spinach is a lot!  I usually use about 1 1/2 pounds and a  combination of spinach and mixed greens.  There is so much going on in this salad that I have never bothered with the hard boiled egg.  Everyone asks for the recipe.

salad

 

Normal family

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