It was my son's 18th birthday yesterday and we are celebrating today with some of his favorite foods. The lovely bunny woke up with a bit of an upset stomach, probably due to some questionable Mexican food she had for lunch yesterday. The upshot is that I was tasked with making my spouse's pasta salad specialty. Its so delicious that I am morally constrained to share it with you.

Lovely Bunny Mediterranean Pasta Salad

You'll need:

8 oz. rotini pasta (this is a spiral type of pasta with a lot of surface area to hold the marinade)

1 large sweet red pepper (Red is preferred because of the color, but orange or golden are fine as well. Green isn't sweet enough)

1 small can California black olives-sliced (perhaps half of a large can or to your preference)

1/2 c. red onion (chopped fine)

1 cucumber, peeled and chopped

1/4 c. fresh basil chopped or schippenade

4 oz. Feta cheese (may substitute Parmesan if unavailable)

Marinade ingredients:

1/2 c. olive oil

1/4 c. red wine vinegar

2 cloves garlic (pressed or finely chopped)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 fresh ground pepper

Boil the pasta in a 6 qt. dutch oven or other suitable vessel with a couple of tbsp of salt and a tbsp of vegetable oil (oil serves to keep the starch from foaming). Cook al dente, meaning that the pasta is tender but not too soft. The pasta should have a slight resistance when bitten through. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Place the pasta in a suitable large container with a sealable cover (Tupperware or equivilent)

Put the marinade together, mix vigorously and pour over the pasta. Close the cover on the container and do the rumba with it, thoroughly mixing the pasta and marinade. Set aside.

While the marinade and pasta are setting, chop finely the red onion (I slice the top off, and then score the face in a 1/8. in. checkerboard pattern about 3/8" in. deep and then slice--the cubes just fall away and no crying...). Chop the cucumber and red pepper in about 3/8 in. cubes. Slice the olives (or chop them if you prefer). Chop the Feta cheese to get a consistent crumble size. I recommend a schippenade for the fresh basil because I think it releases the leaf oils better. A schippenade is a technique where you stack basil leaves, roll them into a tube and slice thinly across the face, giving you very thing ribbons of basil leaf.

Open the container and dump everything in. Replace the cover and do the rumba again. Refrigerate an hour at least before serving. I find the seasoning is perfectly balanced as is, but you may want to add a little salt and pepper to taste before serving. The flavors and textures blend wonderfully and it stores well, so you can make a double batch and just keep it in the fridge for a ready-made antipasto or a simple lunch.

Enjoy.