Orange Broccoli Fettuccine Salad with Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing

I received an email from Carol, asking me if I had any ideas for pasta salads to serve a crowd.  I was unable to respond because her email address was not complete.  I’m so sorry, Carol, contact me again with a full email address and I’ll respond to you.  Until then….

I developed this recipe years ago for some friends who were opening a bagel shop. It was made fresh daily in their store.  I love the contrasting colors of the orange, green, black and purple.  It’s fresh and light for summer and packs well for a picnic.

You will need:

1 lb. broccoli, cut into small florets
1 can small whole olives
2 11-oz cans mandarin oranges, drained
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
12 ounces fettuccine
1/3 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
1/4 cup fresh parsley

For the dressing you will need:

1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
zest from 1 lemon
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon whole grain Dijon mustard
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Drain olives

and mandarin oranges.  Set aside.

Add salt to a large pot of boiling water.

Wash and cut broccoli into small pieces.

Fill a large bowl with ice water for blanching the broccoli.

Add broccoli to boiling water.

Oh wow!  Two blurry pictures in  row.   Sorry.

As soon as the broccoli turns bright green remove it from the boiling water.

Immediately put the broccoli into the ice water.

Once the the broccoli is cold, drain the water and ice.

To the same pot of boiling water, add the fettuccine.

Cook until al dente or until it still has a bit of a chew to it.

Drain the fettuccine and rinse in cold water.

Place the drained olives, mandarin oranges, and blanched broccoli in a large bowl.

Add the cooked fettuccine.

Oh whoops, I almost forgot the onion.

Cut half of a red into thin slices.

I rarely, and I mean RARELY, use bottled salad dressing.  I find it just as easy to make my own.  It tastes so much fresher.  No additives or preservatives.  I know exactly what is in my dressing.  It’s less expensive.

This dressing is very strong because pasta salads can be quite bland.  It has a real punch, but mellows out once tossed with the other ingredients.

For the dressing you will need:

1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
zest from 1 lemon
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon whole grain Dijon mustard
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

In a small mixing bowl 1/2 cup lemon juice.

1/4 cup white wine vinegar.

Add 1 tablespoon poppy seeds.

Zest of one lemon.

3 garlic cloves, minced.

One good heaping teaspoon of Dijon mustard.

One good heaping teaspoon of whole grain Dijon.

I’m loving this stuff, by the way.  I’m adding grainy mustard to everything.  I love the kick.

Whisk ingredients together.

Add salt to taste.

Add several grinds of fresh ground pepper.

Whisk in 1/2 cup good flavored extra virgin olive oil.

Poor over the salad ingredients.  It may appear to be a lot of dressing, but the pasta will soak it up.

I like to gently toss with my hands.

I love fresh parsley.  Chop about 1/4 cup and add to the salad.

Cover the top with fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Asiago cheese.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.  An hour chill time is great to allow the flavors to blend.

Colorful and fresh.

Orange Broccoli Fettuccine Salad with Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing

1 lb. broccoli, cut into small florets
1 can small whole olives
2 11-oz cans mandarin oranges, drained
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
12 ounces fettuccine
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1/4 cup fresh parsley

Dressing:
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
zest from 1 lemon
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon whole grain Dijon mustard
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cut broccoli into small pieces.  Blanch broccoli by putting into boiling water.  Once the broccoli’s color has brightened remove from water and immediately place in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.  Drain and set aside.  Add fettuccine to the boiling water and cook until al dente.  Drain and rinse pasta in cold water.

In a large bowl add the broccoli, cooked pasta, drained olives and mandarin oranges, and red onion. Gently toss together.

To make the dressing:  Mix lemon juice, vinegar, lemon zest, minced garlic, mustard’s, salt and pepper.  Slowly whisk in olive oil.

Pour dressing over salad ingredients.  Top with fresh chopped parsley and grated Parmigiano.