Curry Pasta Salad with Broccolini

I like simple side dishes that can be made well ahead of the crowd appearing and the advance work makes the dish all the better because the flavors intensify over time.   This  pasta salad can be made 6 hours in advance and I often mix a little more of the curry mayonnaise and toss one more time before serving as it sort of wakes the dish up.

If you want to make this a one bowl meal for a summer lunch then add Grilled Lemon Chicken Breasts or Butter Poached Shrimp in Olive Oil.

Ingredients 

• 1 pound of cavatelli pasta, cooked al dente
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 8 cups of broccolini, blanched and sautéed in garlic and red pepper flakes
• 2 onions, grilled
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 tables spoons garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour creme
• 1 tablespoon of fresh tarragon, chopped
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of curry powder
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Making It

• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and put in the upper 2/3 of the broccolini, that has been chopped into manageable pieces.  Discard the rest. Cook for two minutes then submerge in ice cold water to stop from overcooking.  Take a sauté pan and drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil and place over medium-high heat, add the pepper flakes and cook for a minute then the garlic for another minute.  Add the brocollini and sauté for two more minutes
• Turn your grill on high heat and when red hot, but on the onion slices until there are char marks on each side.  Rough Chop the onions
• Put the mayonnaise, sour cream, tarragon and curry in a bowl and stir until all the ingredients are fully blended together
• Mix the pasta and all the ingredients together and refrigerate up to 6 hours beforehand