i'm ooo and can't answer my emails rn. aka i'm living up this labor day weekend in southern california! getting to buy vanilla matcha lattes instead of making mediocre versions, visiting my fave, eating the good things, basking in beachy sunsets.
in case you need a last minute side dish for labor day though, how about this olive pasta with kumquat vinaigrette?!
although, if kumquat vinaigrette is kind of freaking you out, i got you. maybe spam pasta salad or a kimchi and creamed kale pasta instead?
i'm on a huge citrus kick right now, and i love how citrusy this pasta salad is. i used preserved kumquats that my aunt pickled, but preserved lemon would also be really tasty here. there's the salty olives, which we all know i could eat a jar of plain.
there's arugula, which i normally find too peppery, that mellows out and breaks up all the pasta when the two get tossed together.
i was lazy and didn't grate the parm here; do as i say and not as i do. when you grate it, it infuses into the pasta so much nicer. and let's be real, hazelnuts make everything better. i have a bag in my freezer and bring out a handful for special occasions like this.
- 1 lb pasta
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 T lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 2 T minced preserved kumquats
- 7 oz arugula
- ¾ cup spanish manzanilla olives thinly sliced
- 1 cup shaved parmesan or ½ cup grated parmesan
- ½ cup toasted hazelnuts chopped
-
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions, until the pasta is done to al dente. Drain.
-
In a medium skillet over medium heat, heat some oil. Add the onion and a big pinch of salt. Saute until the onion is translucent, then add the garlic. Saute until the garlic is fragrant.
-
Whisk the oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and kumquats together. Toss in everything else and serve warm.
Don’t have preserved kumquats? You can sub in preserved lemon.
Laura says
Heather - what a lovely pasta dish! I love all of the flavor notes here - citrus, salty, spicy. So so much flavor! Hope you have a fantastic SoCal weekend!
Heather says
thanks, laura! i feel like pasta salads can be bland so i wanted to make sure this was super citrusy and that the dressing was almost too intense alone.
GiGi Eats says
Kumquats! Ha! I never ever think about those little guys (I think they're little? lol)... SO way to put them in the spotlight with your recipe!!
Heather says
they're super tiny! have you seen finger limes before? i've never seen then in real life (only online lol) but i think they're even tinier.