Balsamic Pasta Salad

Here be garlic. And crunchy vegetables. And....

2 lbs of dry rotini pasta
1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
3 ribs celery thinly sliced on the bias
1 large red onion peeled, halved, and sliced into thin crescents.
4-6 cloves of garlic, diced then reduced to paste
1-1/2 cups of finely diced country ham ( leave out for vegans )
1/2 cup black olive slices
1-1/2 cups of frozen green peas, lightly rinsed to separate.
1 cup balsamic dijon vinaigrette

Cook rotini in ample salted water ( using iodized salt imparts a slight bitter taste, I use kosher salt for these applications ). Drain, cool in cold water, drain again thoroughly. Combine with the other ingredients in a large serving bowl. Refrigerate 2 hours, better if overnight to let the garlic mellow.

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Porchside Musings.

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