Mexican Pasta Salad with Green Chiles

Summer is here in Tucson and it's hot and humid at the front end of our monsoon season. Tucsonan's  move quickly from "winter," skip spring and shift immediately into summer. At  Murph's place we all  embrace the outdoors and start making our favorite summer dishes to enjoy with family and friends on one of our outdoor patios.  Evenings are quite a bit cooler and we cook on our grill and eat outside much of the year.



Pasta Salad with Green Chiles
Ingredients

Our Favorite Brand of Cotija Cheese

12 oz Of your favorite tube or bow-tie pasta
2 Cups diced fresh Tomatoes
2 Anaheim Chiles, roasted, peeled and diced
1 Pasilla Chile, roasted, peeled and diced (prepare in advance or dice one cup of whole canned green chili's in a pinch)
1/4 Finely chopped Red Onion
2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
1 stick Butter melted
1 Cup Crumbled Cotija Cheese
1/2 lb. grated yellow cheese
Cherry Tomates
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

Directions


Cook noodles to al dente and set aside

Place diced tomatoes and chiles in a large bowl and sprinkle with vinegar

Cover diced onion with water and sprinkle with vinegar

Roast chiles, peel and dice- Tip slightly warm chili's give this salad a great flavor!

Just prior to serving,  melt butter  in a good sized pan and add pasta coating evenly then transfer to a large bowl.

Sprinkle one third of the grated cheese over the noodles and layer half the tomatoes, chiles and onions (minus the water).

Generously season with salt and pepper, and toss well prior to serving!

Monsoons Moving In!

The basis for this recipe was published in the now defunct, Tucson Citizen  newspaper by Alva Torres who wrote a Mexican food column for many years.  We modify every recipe over time but I acknowledge Alva for the great family dishes she shared with her readers.  This basic recipe was originally published in July of 1990 and called "Mama Bella Salad."  Thank you Alva, you have made quite a few us happy over the years by sharing your special dishes.