muffaleta pasta...

I actually have a recipe for you today! Mark started hounding me the other day that I have been blogging too much about the kids. I apologize. It is what my life has been consumed with lately! Last week Gavin went to visit with my parents and I had time to cook some of my favorite recipes I am excited to share... so more to come!

First one...

Muffaleta Pasta

this dish was inspired by a pasta that Mark and I used to have at a restaurant in Gainesville, Semolina's. I remembered the ingredients and came up with my own recipe. We love it and I hope you do too!

To make I use--

1 box penne pasta
3/4 of a lb. hard salami that I get cut a little thick at the deli counter. I then slice it into thin strips
5.75 jar Spanish olives that I slice
7 oz. jar sundried tomatoes in olive oil that I slice into strips AND use the oil
Almost 1 lb. provolone cheese cut into thin strips
Sesame seeds

So easy! I cook the pasta according to the package directions. While the pasta is cooking I prepare all the ingredients and when there is about 8 minutes left for the pasta to cook I combined all the salami, olives and sundried tomatoes, with their oil, in a large skillet heated over medium to medium low heat. I cook and stir just until the salami starts to look cooked. It will start to look just a little crispy, but DON'T let it get crispy or burn! I add a little extra olive oil and about two spoonfuls of pasta water to the skillet too and cook until heated. Once the pasta is cooked, I drain it and return the pasta to the pot. I add the skillet mixture along with the provolone and a very heavy sprinkling of sesame seeds to the pot and stir to combine. You can add garlic too if you want even more of a kick. Enjoy!