Thanks to Bonnie Newhoff for bringing this flavorful pasta salad to our October meeting. The recipe is from Tastes & Treasures cookbook.
Mediterranean Pasta Salad with Tuna and Basil
Basil Vinaigrette Ingredients:
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salad Ingredients:2 cups fusilli or penne
6 ounces haricots verts, trimmed
Salt to taste
2 large tomatoes chopped, or small grape tomatoes
Sliced kalamata olvies
2 cups fresh basil leaves, stacked and thinly sliced
1 (7-ounce) can oil-pack tuna, drained and flaked
2 hard-cooked eggs, sliced or chopped
Capers, drained and rinsed
Directions for the viniaigrette:
Whisk
the vinegar, basil, garlic, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper in a bowl
until combined. Add the olive oil gradually, whisking constantly until
the olive oil is incorporated.
Directions for the salad:
Cook the pasta using the package directions and drain. Toss the hot
pasta with a small amount of the vinaigrette in a bowl. Blanch the green
beans in a small amount of boiling salted water in a saucepan until
tender-crisp and drain. Immediately plunge into a bowl of ice water to
stop the cooking process and drain.
Layer the pasta,
tomatoes, olives, basil, green beans and tuna in a large salad bowl,
drizzling each layer with some of the vinaigrette. Toss lightly and top
with the hard-cooked eggs and capers.
Serves 4.
A sold out Historical League tour to Casa Grande was filled with history. Casa Grande Historical Society Museum was our first stop. We were greeted with warm smiles, coffee, cookies and an explanation of the Museum, adjoining schoolhouse and beautiful rock church. 
