i’m ooo and can’t answer my emails rn. aka i’m living up this labor day weekend in southern california! 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?!
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 year ago: double coconut pancakes with pineapple orange salad | summer fruit and tofu coconut forbidden rice
2 years ago: almond-crisped peaches | cherry, corn and grilled zucchini salad
3 years ago: strawberry daifuku | matcha waffles
4 years ago: coconut cashew granola | chocolate chip cupcakes with chocolate chip cookie dough frosting
5 years ago: winner winner tomato/olive/caper chicken dinner | david lebovitz’s german chocolate cake
- 1 lb pasta
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 T lemon juice
- 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 2 T minced preserved kumquats
- 7 oz arugula
- 3/4 cup spanish manzanilla olives thinly sliced
- 1 cup shaved parmesan or 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts chopped
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Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions, until the pasta is done to al dente. Drain.
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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.
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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.
other noodle-y things besides this olive pasta with kumquat vinaigrette
weeknight cauliflower pasta with pecans and feta
You always come up with the most unique layers of flavor! Love the use of kumquats and lemon in this pasta salad. Enjoy your long weekend Heather!! Xoxo
thanks, kelly!! i had a whole jar of preserved kumquats from my aunt and had to figure out a way to use them somehow (;
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!
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.
Such great flavors! Peppery, salty and there’s pasta so I’m sold!
i can relate- basically sold whenever there’s pasta around (:
I love a citrusy pasta! I’ve never thought to use kumquat, but it’s a brilliant choice. Wonderful delicious flavours in this dish.
kumquat’s a fun choice because i never use them, but anything citrusy (especially lemons or limes) works!
What an intriguing combination of ingredients!
thanks, tandy! i like to mix it up (:
Wow a Kumquat vinaigrette! that sounds so exotic!! I love the citrus and sour and salty flavors here!!
i don’t see or eat kumquats that much so i get how they could seem exotic! but the flavor is pretty similar to lemons so it’s not as exotic as it seems (;
This is possibly my favourite of yours yet, Heather! I am an olive fanatic!
thanks katherine! and oh, not enough people like olives (: i need a friend to go raid the olive bar with!
Kumquat vinaigrette sounds so interesting! What a great idea, I’d love to try it.
thanks, caroline! you’ll have to go hunt down some kumquats to cook with (:
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!!
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.
Welcome back to SoCal for the weekend! Love that citrus can be incorporated in our everyday meals. I like how you’ve given the pasta so much life through these few fruits!
Nancy ♥ exquisitely.me
ahh it was so nice being back. already thinking about visiting in january for a bit (: