ITALIAN DELI PASTA SALAD
makes 1200 g · total 2h 35m · tested

The ultimate deli-case pasta salad, fully calculated in grams and
optimized for a stable, glossy finish.

INGREDIENTS
  -- The Base & Mix-Ins --
      454 g   rotini pasta (dry; 1 standard pound box)
      150 g   pepperoni (cut into halves or quarters)
      150 g   tomatoes (cherry/grape halved, or standard tomatoes de-
              seeded and diced)
      120 g   cucumber (center seed channel scraped out; flesh diced)
      120 g   red bell pepper (finely diced)
       75 g   olives (sliced; black or Kalamata, violently drained)
       25 g   scallions (thinly sliced; both white and green parts)
       10 g   fresh parsley (minced)
  -- The Emulsified Vinaigrette --
      120 g   olive or neutral oil
       45 g   fresh lemon juice
       30 g   hard cheese (grated; Parmesan/Romano, grated into
              microscopic dust)
       15 g   dijon mustard
       15 g   sugar
        3 g   garlic powder
        3 g   onion powder
        2 g   black pepper (coarse)
      1.5 g   MSG
              salt (reserved for the end)

STEPS
  Prep & Emulsion
    1. Moisture Management: Water is the enemy of a tight dressing. Prep
       your high-water vegetables first. Scrape the wet seed channels
       out of the cucumber (and standard tomatoes, if using) before
       dicing. Ensure the olives are completely drained of their brine.
    2. Build the Emulsion: In a bowl, combine the lemon juice, grated
       hard cheese, Dijon mustard, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder,
       MSG, and black pepper. Whisk into a thick paste. Slowly stream in
       the 120g of oil while whisking aggressively until the vinaigrette
       turns thick, opaque, and glossy.
  Hydration & Assembly
    1. Starch Hydration: Boil the rotini, drain it well, and let it cool
       just until it stops actively steaming (warm, but not hot). Do not
       rinse the pasta cold. Transfer the warm pasta to a large mixing
       bowl and immediately pour in 75% of your vinaigrette. Toss
       vigorously so the open starch matrix absorbs the dressing
       internally.
    2. Incorporate the Mix-Ins: Add the pepperoni, prepped cucumber,
       tomatoes, red bell pepper, olives, scallions, and parsley to the
       dressed pasta. Fold gently from the bottom up until everything is
       evenly distributed.
  Cure & Finish
    1. The Curing Phase: Deli salads require time to equalize. Cover the
       bowl and refrigerate for at least two hours. The pasta will
       absorb the moisture, and the pepperoni oils will bleed into the
       salad.
    2. The Finish: Right before serving, pull it from the fridge, toss
       it with the remaining 25% of the vinaigrette to restore the
       glossy finish, and finally fold in standard table salt 1g at a
       time until the flavors peak.

EQUIPMENT
  Large mixing bowl, whisk, colander.

FOOD SAFETY
  Keep refrigerated when not serving.

STORAGE
  Stores well in the fridge for up to 4 days, though the pasta will
  continue to absorb dressing over time.

LICENSE
  CC BY 4.0: share and adapt freely, credit longproof and link to
  https://longproof.duckdns.org/recipes/italian-deli-pasta-salad.txt
  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/