Tortellini Pasta Salad
When Peter and I were first married and we started inviting friends and family over for dinners, cookouts and holidays, Peter was always perplexed at how I did much of the preparations and cooking ahead of time. We both come from families that loved to entertain at home and Peter's mom has hosted some legendary parties that people still talk about to this day. I knew his family was not unfamiliar with entertaining, but I couldn't figure out his amazement with my advance preparations for our own gatherings.
When I asked him why my party preparations amazed him, Peter explained to me chuckling, that entertaining in his household was often an unorganized affair because many tasks were often left to do at the last minute. Invariably, Peter's dad would start vacuuming ten minutes before guests started to arrive, which would aggravate Peter's mom, who wanted him to do something else, and then stress and arguing would ensue. Guests were none the wiser, though, and their parties were always a huge success and a lot of fun. I've been lucky to be at many of them myself.
I explained to Peter that in my family, all the preparations for parties big and small were done in advance so that by the time the day of the party rolled around, we weren't left scrambling or rushing. I can't think of entertaining any differently. I want to have fun with my friends and family and not worry about what needs to be done in the kitchen. And I certainly don't need any stress on a day that's supposed to be fun, regardless of the occasion.
So, with summer upon us (and lordy, how it is upon us down here in Texas), I thought it would be fun to give you some of my personal party prep tips. Peter and I love casual entertaining. We're not a china and crystal kind of couple. We keep things as simple and uncomplicated as possible so we can enjoy time with our friends and family, and eat great food like this Tortellini Pasta Salad. I was inspired to make this after seeing it on Maria and Josh Lichty's blog, Two Peas and Their Pod. It reminded me of the pasta salads we would make in my family during the summer months. It's a perfect make-ahead addition to your summer entertaining menu. Stress not included.
Flavia's No Stress Entertaining Tips
*Plan your menu a week in advance. Organize the recipes, write your grocery list and clean out/make room in your refrigerator and freezer for ingredients and platters/containers of food.
*Cook or bake any recipes in advance that can easily (and successfully) be frozen.
*Wash and dry all produce items immediately after coming home from the grocery store.
*Make sure you have enough dish soap, dishwasher detergent and clean dish towels ready for clean-up before and after the party.
*Pull out the platters, bowls and serving utensils that you will use for all the food you will serve at the party. Write the name of each dish on sticky notes and affix them to the serving platter you will use for each dish you will be serving.
*Set the table the night before (for sit-down dinners) and arrange place cards (if using). If you are having a buffet, set up the majority of the buffet area.
*Chill sodas, water, wine, and other beverages that need to be served cold.
*Make as much of the food in advance as possible and refrigerate, if necessary.
*Chop and prep as many ingredients in advance as possible and store in individual containers so they are ready to use/serve.
*If you will be using the oven to cook some of your food, make a timeline of when certain dishes need to go in/come out of the oven so you can time the cooking of each dish and make sure they are all ready around the same time.
*Delegate: If you have friends or family who love to cook and/or bake, ask them (or accept their offer) to bring an appetizer, side dish or dessert (the host always makes the main course). Get your spouse/significant other and kids to help with other tasks.
*Get some help from the grocery store: Take advantage of your grocery store or specialty food store's best food items: breads, rolls and tortillas from the bakery, in-house made guacamole and salsas, deli sandwich platters, olives from the fresh olive bar, etc. There is nothing wrong with buying some of these things to supplement the food you will make from scratch.
*Keep it simple. Cook and bake the things that you know how to do well. Don't experiment with a new dish, ingredient or cooking technique (save that for another time).
*Have fun! And save the vacuuming for after the party.
Tortellini Pasta Salad
Adapted from Two Peas and Their PodThe ingredients in this tortellini salad are my personal favorites, but there are a variety of other ingredients that you can add to suit your taste, such as edamame, kalamata olives, feta cheese, diced salame or mortadella, and shredded carrots. You can also dress your salad with a balsamic vinaigrette, or use some of the bottled marinade from the artichoke hearts and mix it with olive oil. I decided to make my version of this salad vegetarian-friendly.
1 20 oz. package refrigerated four-cheese tortellini (such as Buitoni)
1 T. olive oil + 1/4 cup
1 7.5 oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts, roughly chopped (reserve marinating liquid if using in dressing)
1 3.8 oz. can sliced black olives, drained and rinsed
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley
1 T. capers, drained (not rinsed)
8-10 sweet gherkins, roughly chopped
Balsamic vinaigrette (optional)Fill a large stock pot with cold water and bring to a rolling boil. Add 2 tablespoons of salt and add in the tortellini. Cook the tortellini according to the package directions. Once the tortellini are cooked, strain them through a colander and run cold water over them to stop the cooking process. Transfer the cooked tortellini to a large mixing bowl and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, mixing well to coat (this will prevent them from sticking together).
Add in the artichoke hearts, black olives, bell pepper, peas, parsley, capers and chopped gherkins and any other ingredients you are using. Add in 1/4 cup of olive oil and carefully toss the ingredients until well incorporated. Add in some balsamic vinaigrette (if using) and mix well.
Store in a well-covered container in the refrigerator. Let stand at room temperature for 30-45 minutes before serving.
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What a great post! Your tips and suggestions are great... and always make the husbands do the vacuuming! After wearing heels all night, we need to take a load off, right? :)
Love your version of the salad. Glad you enjoyed it. Great tips too!