Bow Tie Pasta Salad

We had been to Lake Geneva and Chicago for the Memorial day weekend...I had been looking forward to the trip since my friend and her family joined us for the trip to Lake Geneva and we got to spend couple of days with her in Down Town Chicago....it was my dream to stay in down town Chicago and roam around Michigan Avenue!! It was a dream come true and the kids (my son and her son) had a whale of time....We got to taste the best food in town! I got to visit my fav Whole Foods - it was in the same building and I was looking forward to it....went on a shopping spree 'buying all kind of stuff - pine nuts - the one I was looking for, macadamia nut, arugula ...etc etc'...

When we came back from our trip...I whipped up a nice Italian meal...with arugula salad, pasta and couscous desert pudding.  I love the pine nuts - the crunchiness from it....I have never seen such a costly nut...we paid around $ 10 for it! Saved the rest in my freezer for future.

All of us loved the pasta..it was simple yet delicious ..in the sense  though it did not have the usual sauces....it  tasted better...my husband just loved it.

Ingredients:

Farfalle Pasta 2 Cups

Any Vegetable of your choice - I used broccoli, peas, beans, colored bell pepper and spinach

3/4th Tsp Dried Basil

1/2 Tsp Dried Parsley

3/4th Tsp Pepper powder

Parmesan Cheese

Olive Oil

Salt to taste

Boil the water and add salt and pasta to it. Cook it al dante (to the bite). After about 8 minutes turn off the gas and use a colander to drain the water (but save the water).

Take oil in a pan and add the vegetables and saute it. When they are cooked add the dried basil, dried parsley, salt, pepper and pasta to it. Cook for couple of more minutes. Add the pepper and the parmesan cheese.....Pasta is ready to the served.

If you are planning to serve it later. Heat the pasta by sprinkling the water that you reserved while draining the pasta and you can add little bit more cheese and serve it with focaccia bread for the side. Focaccia bread is my favorite...We buy it all the time from panera!  In one of the restaurants that we visit they serve this bread with a dip by combining - "olive oil, pepper and parmesan cheese". You can cut the bread into a long piece wrap it in a kitchen towel and microwave it for few minutes and serve with the dip as a side for your pasta...Enjoy the delicious, simple pasta!