Savoring Seattle Series #1

We just got back from vacation in Seattle and we had such a great time. The highlight of the trip was the "Savor Seattle" tour we took on our second day there. It was a guided tour through Pike's Place Market that afforded us the opportunity to learn the history of the market and some insider facts along with the scrumptious sampling of the products from several of the vendors. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable, pleasant and well acquainted with the market producers. Since I wasn't able to buy any of the fantastic fresh food like the produce, meat or seafood; I purchased several non-perishable food items from the market that would travel nicely in my luggage. I picked up a few ingredients that I though were really unique and plan to showcase them in recipes over the next few posts.

One of the market vendors was Papperdelle's Pasta and their stand was amazing. They have every type of pasta you could ever dream of in your wildest noodle fantasies. They had ten types of orzo, chipotle linguine, dark chocolate fettuccine and several multi-flavored blends to name a few. I settled for the Southwest Blend which boasted flavors of blue corn, southwestern chile, green jalapeno and yellow maize. Each of the pasta purchases come with a recipe card with suggested uses. I adapted the accompanying recipe for this colorful pasta salad.


Southwestern Blend Pasta Salad with Chicken and Fresh Corn

Ingredients

• 1 lb Pappardelle's Southwestern Blend Pasta
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups diced cooked rotisserie chicken
• 8 green onions, chopped
• 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 cups of fresh corn kernels, roasted
• 1, 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
  
• 1, 12 ounce bottle mild taco sauce
• 1 fresh jalapeno, seeded and de-veined, chopped
• 1/2 cup of chopped fresh cilantro
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  

Directions

1. Cook pasta in 6-8 quarts of rapidly bliling salted water until al dente (about 5-8 minutes). Drain, rinse under cold running water and drain again.

2. Transfer pasta to large bowl. Add oil and toss to coat.

Mix in chicken, green onions, tomatoes, corn, beans, taco sauce., jalepeno and cilantro. Add cayenne and then season salad generously with salt and pepper.

Serve chilled.