The hot weather is here and something cool and delicious for dinner sounds great. Wait, don’t say “Oh no, another boring pasta recipe”. This is fantastic. Always a hit. I have been making it for years. I clipped the recipe from the old Philadelphia Bulletin which no longer exists.

Pasta Salad Jarlsberg

3 cups cooked pasta twists
1 lb raw shrimp (medium or large)
1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
1 cup jarlsberg cheese, cut into julienne strips
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup green, red, or yellow pepper strips
1/3 cup sliced, pitted ripe black olives (drained from can)
1/3 cup red pimento strips
1/2 cup olive oil
1 TB vinegar
2 TB chopped parsley

1 to 2 cloves of garlic (pressed)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp coarsely ground pepper

Rinse shrimp and cook with shell on in boiling water sprinkled with Old Bay seasoning and garlic salt. Drain and let cool, then shell. Set aside. Cook pasta spirals according to package directions (about 7 to 8 minutes in boiling water). Do not overcook. I always use Eden Organic Kamut Vegetable Spirals. The pasta is colorful and cooks beautifully staying firm for a pasta salad. After cooking drain thoroughly while letting the pasta cool. Once, drained and cool, pour into a large bowl. Add all ingredients tossing gently as you go. Mix the olive oil (use real olive oil, not light because you want the flavor to come through in the salad), the vinegar, the salt, the sugar, the parsley and the pressed garlic. Wisk in a bowl to mix. Pour over the pasta, vegetables and shrimp and gently blend. Taste for correctness, you may want to add a little more sugar (but don’t go overboard). Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Note: It is important to use jarlsberg cheese because it adds a nice flavor. I have also made this pasta salad with leftover ham strips or chicken strips and it is delicious. But, the shrimp is always the favorite. And, of course, you can cook the shrimp anyway you prefer and add more or less of the vegetables, etc. to suit your taste.