recipe of the week

Lemony Chicken Pasta Salad

1 small chicken, roasted or from rotisserie
1 lb small pasta - mostaccioli/penne or small shells.
1 bunch scallions (about 6)
1/2 bunch Italian parsley
4-5 small centre stalks of celery with leaves
4-5 smallish ripe tomatoes
butter/boston lettuce
1/2 c coarsely chopped almonds

Dressing:
1 lemon
1/2 C mayonnaise
2-3 T good extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 t grainy Dijon mustard
salt and pepper

Boil the pasta in salted water for about 10 min. until al dente. You want the pasta to still have some nice bite to it - don't cook it all the way through. I bought a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store - they're extra juicy, but you can roast your own small chicken. Do it several hours or the day before so it's cold by the time you need it. Shred the chicken meat (breasts, thighs, legs) and reserve the carcass, wings, etc. for making soup/stocks. In a very large bowl, place the cold pasta and shredded chicken.

Wash and chop the celery. I like using the centre stalks for this because I like the flavour and yellowy colour of the celery leaves. You can also add in a large outside stalk. Wash and slice the scallions on a 30 degree bias, using all the white and green part. Give the parsley a medium chop and add all the veggies to the bowl.

Zest 1/2-3/4 of the lemon into a small bowl. Roll the lemon and juice it and add the juice to the zest. Add in the mustard, salt and pepper. Whisk briefly to combine. Next very slowly drizzle in the olive oil all the while whisking to emulsify the mixture. Then add in the mayonnaise and whisk until combined. To be honest, I didn't measure any of the dressing ingredients when I made it (I rarely do), so these are all approximate measurements. I didn't use just mayonnaise because I wanted a lighter, more flavourful dressing. You may use more or less of the ingredients, depending on the specific flavouring you want. I used the entire zest of the lemon, but I like mine extra super lemony.

Add the dressing to the salad and toss just until coated. Taste, and add more salt and pepper if needed.

Wash the lettuce, and wash and cut the tomatoes into wedges. Place several lettuce leaves on a salad place, top with the pasta salad, sprinkle with almonds and garnish with tomatoes and a couple whole parsley leaves. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil and grind a little bit of pepper over the top.

Now, EAT!