Heat's on, but not for dinner

Connecticut just had it's first heat wave of the summer. That means I'm concentrating on salads for dinner.  Check out one of my favourites.

Shrimp & Asparagus Salad
  • 3 cups spiral shaped pasta, uncooked  
  • 1 lb  shell-on medium sized shrimp  
  • 1 lb  asparagus, tough ends discarded, remainder cut into 2" pieces  
  • ½ cup bottled ranch dressing  
  • 1 cup lite mayonnaise  (not salad dressing)
  • ½ cup seafood cocktail sauce  
  • 2 Tbsp  fresh lemon juice  
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce  
  • 1 large tomato, cored, seeded and chopped  
  • 6  scallions, sliced thinly on the diagonal  
  • 2 Tbs fresh parsley and chives, chopped  
  1. In a bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, ranch dressing, seafood cocktail sauce,lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and salt& pepper to taste. Set aside.
  2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 Tbsp salt. Drop in the asparagus and cook 3 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook 4 minutes longer. Remove the asparagus and shrimp with a slotted spoon or Chinese spider and drop in an ice bath..  When cool, drain all.  Peel the shrimp.
  3. Cook the pasta in the same water according to package directions; drain and rinse with cold water to cool quickly; drain well.
  4. Mix the shrimp, asparagus and pasta together in a large bowl. Add the tomato, scallions and parsley. Add enough dressing to coat well - as little or as much as you like.
  5. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate.

Serves 4
Serve with warm ciabatta rolls and a chilled rose wine.
Note: Any remaining dressing makes a great sandwich spread

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