Tortellini Pasta Salad --- The Way to a Son's Heart

Every year, for at least the last twenty years, my middle son has one and only one request for his birthday -- "Mom, you are going to make me tortellini pasta salad again this year aren't you?" And my answer is always yes -- even when we have been separated by thousands of kilometers! Thank goodness for couriers! So this year was no different -- I pulled out my recipe that I know by heart and made up a batch of this very tasty pasta salad. The result was a huge smile on my son's face, a big hug and a chorus of "you're the best mom ever". I think you can see why I keep making this pasta salad year after year!

The recipe for Tortellini with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Salad is from an older cookbook I have -- Nantucket Open-House Cookbook by Sarah Leah Chase, and I have reproduced it below.

The only change I make is that I only use 1 cup of olive oil in the pesto not 1-1/2 cups (I found it a bit too oily otherwise and not necessary) -- and because my son LOVES pepperoni, I probably slice up 3 sticks of pepperoni in the salad itself instead of the 1 stick it calls for.

The other note I'd make is that pepperoni comes in various sizes -- but I try and look for the slender, firm, air-dried type versus the mass produced  pizza type more often found in a grocery store. Both work -- but I like the slightly sweet, tangy flavour that comes with the thinner, usually hand made, pepperoni. I also go on the basis that 1/2 stick of pepperoni = 1/4 pound as is called for in the recipe.

This pasta salad can generously serve 10 people ... or one 6 foot 3 inch son!

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
1/2 stick pepperoni (about 1/4 pound), cut into small dice
3 tab. Dijon mustard
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tab. fennel seeds
1 jar (7 ounces) sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
1 cup olive oil
2 tab fresh lemon juice
Sale and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Prepare the pesto: Place the peperoni, mustard, garlic, fennel seeds, and sun-dried tomatoes with oil in a food processor fitted with the steel blade; process until smooth. With the machine running pour the olive oil in a thin, steady stream through the feed tube and continue processing until the mixture is smooth. Season with lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.

Salad
2 pounds cheese or meat filled tortellini, cooked and drained
2 ripe medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 yellow bell pepper seeded and diced
1 stick pepperoni thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 tab chopped fresh basil

2. Combine the tortellini, tomatoes, yellow pepper and pepperoni in a large mixing bowl. Add the pesto and toss to coat. Sprinkle with the parsley and basil. Serve warm or at room temperature.