Pasta pasta pasta

Funny thing about Italian people. They love their pasta, and my Chef is no exception. He has been behaving like an artist lately, but instead of clay or acrylic, FOOD has been his medium and this afternoon, after making that stunningly HOT pasta dish earlier, he was back in the kitchen whipping up a little pasta salad.

The Chef's Pasta Salad was a refreshing toss of multi-color pasta (we had a bag of those funny wagon wheels sitting in the cupboard and pretty much all you can do with them is pasta salad, unless you have kiddos, which we do not), more garden fresh veggies, olives, a minced fresh jalapeno (he has to sneak a little heat in everything and that's ok !!) and a very light vinegar and oil dressing. This simple but delicious salad would be a perfect side for any grilled meat or even all by itself for a nice light lunch on a hot summer day.

Since he had spent a big day cooking up a storm in the kitchen, it was my turn to cook dinner- I whipped up a simple beer batter and fried a few swai fillets, threw some herbed potato wedges (fresh potatoes cut in wedges and tossed with olive oil, some herbes de provence and lemon-herb seasoning) in the oven and quickly steamed some fresh green beans and finished them up with a quick saute in a little bacon fat and butter (naughty yes, but ohhhh so delicious). Yummy and pretty simple !!

Let's get back to swai for just a quick second. If you have never tried this fish, you really should. It's a relative of catfish but it's got a flavor and texture more like filet of sole (I think anyway) and lends itself to many types of preparation. We have made it fried fish and chips style, sauted with herbs and butter, and next on the agenda is a stuffed and rolled filet. It's a very mild white fish and very very delicious. If you come across it at the store- give it a shot !!