Crunchy Baked Chicken Wings

Crunchy Baked Chicken Wings
My favorite way to describe chicken wings is as “chicken’s version of bacon.”  The fat/meat/crunch ratio is so utterly satisfying, eating only one in a helping is doubtful.  Ideally, the best way to achieve this is through deep fat frying.  I would happily oppose any deep fried wing with my oven baked version.  Yes.  They’re that good.

1 lb chicken wings

2 T vegetable oil
1 t salt
1 t pepper

First do this:

Move one of the racks in your oven to the very bottom row.  Pre-heat to 450°.  Break down the chicken wings by separating the “drummette” from the wing, from the wing tip.  Rinse the chicken in cool running water.  Dry the chicken very well with paper towel.

Then do this:

Toss the drummettes and wings in the vegetable oil, salt and pepper until very evenly coated.  Place the oiled and seasoned chicken wings and drummettes on a sheet pan, separated by at least 1/2”.  Place on the bottom rack of the oven and bake for 10 minutes.  With a tongs, flip the half cooked chicken onto the other side and cook for another 10 minutes.

Now do this:

Remove the hot chicken from the oven, cover in your favorite wing sauce, and serve immediately.

Eat it like this:

Using your fingers, dig in with a bunch of friends, a bunch of napkins, and a bunch of cold beer.

If you’re goin’ rogue:

Adjust the salt and pepper to your liking.  I like salty/spicy/crunchy wings. 

If you want a sauceless hotwing, add ¼ - 1/8 t ground cayenne pepper with the salt, black pepper, and oil.

Keep this in mind:

Don’t throw away your wing tips, save them to make chicken stock!

Cut the chicken at  the joints to effortlessly break down the wings.

Steps to guarantee the crunch factor:  Thoroughly dry that chicken, ensure plenty of space between the wings while baking, and don’t just “toss” them with a spatula when it is time to turn them over!  A little care will go a LONG way here.

Chili-Lime Wing Sauce

Chili-Lime Wing Sauce
A tangy twist on the classic Buffalo wing.  To.  Die.  For.

½ c butter

½ c Frank’s Red Hot (This is crucial, in my opinion)
1/3 c fresh squeezed lime juice (no, you cannot use the bottled junk)
½ t black pepper

First do this:

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, combine all of the ingredients.  Cook about 5-6 minutes, until the sauce is slightly thickened, stirring intermittently.  Keep warm until ready to use.

Then do this:

Toss over a batch of Crunchy Baked Chicken Wings, serve immediately.

Eat it like this:

With bleu cheese dressing and celery, of course!  Ranch dressing is a good stand in, too.

If you’re goin’ rogue:

If you think about it, this is already a rogue recipe.  But if you want, toss in a clove of finely minced garlic to the sauce while it simmers.  Just make sure you are eating these with someone who will love you despite your garlic breath.

Keep this in mind:

The sauce will separate while it is reducing.  That’s okay.

Firey Ginger Pineapple Wing Sauce

Firey Ginger Pineapple Wing Sauce
Sweet, salty, tangy, spicy.  Damn good on wings, but also just as amazing on grilled pork chops.

1 can pineapple juice concentrate

½ c packed dark brown sugar
¼ c dark corn syrup
3 T soy sauce
1 ½ t ground ginger
1 t granulated garlic
½ t dried chili flakes
½ t black pepper 

First do this:

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, combine all of the ingredients.  Cook about 8-10 minutes, until the sauce is slightly thickened, stirring intermittently.  Keep warm until ready to use.
 

Then do this:

Toss over a batch of Crunchy Baked Chicken Wings, serve immediately.

Eat it like this:

With your fingers, a bunch of napkins, and a cold beer.

If you’re goin’ rogue:

Sorry, I can’t condone going rogue on this sauce.  You will understand in time, grasshoppah.

Keep this in mind:

This sauce has a very high sugar content.  Do not let it boil too hard or reduce too far, or you will end up with salty, tangy, spicy caramel.  Not what we are going for here.

If you want to taste this while it is cooking, spoon a little bit of it onto a plate and allow it to cool a minute or two before tasting.  Boiling sugar is like napalm, and you DO NOT want that kind of burn on the roof of your mouth!

Parmesan-Garlic Wing Sauce

Parmesan-Garlic Wing Sauce
Amazing on wings.  Amazing smeared onto a crispy ciabatta roll for a steak sandwich, too.

1 packet ranch dressing seasoning

1 c sour cream
1 c mayonnaise
3 cloves garlic
½ c grated parmesan cheese
½ tsp salt
1t black pepper

First do this:

On a cutting board, combine the salt and the garlic.  With the side of your knife, using a “sliding” motion, mash the garlic and the salt together into a paste. 

Then do this:

Combine all ingredients and mix until well combined.  Chill for at least an hour to allow the flavors to meld.

Now do this:

Toss over a batch of Crunchy Baked Chicken Wings, serve immediately.

Eat it like this:

These wings are awesome as-is, but I adore dipping them in marinara sauce.  (Instead of ranch or bleu cheese)

If you’re goin’ rogue:

Kick up the spice factor by adding ¼ - ½ (or more) t of crushed red pepper flakes.

Keep this in mind:

If this sauce sits on the hot chicken for too long it will start to become slightly transparent.  There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just not as appetizing.    

Bee's Chips

Bee’s Chips
Better than any restaurant made French fry or potato wedge.  I promise.  Even better is that you can cook these in the oven while you are making some Crunchy Baked Chicken Wings.

3-4 medium russet potatoes

3-4 T vegetable oil
1 ½ T Adobo with pepper
1 t dried oregano
½ t black pepper

First do this:

Preheat your oven to 450°.  Slice the potatoes length wise, about ½” thick.  Rinse in cold water for about 2 minutes.  Dry well on paper towel.

Then do this:

Toss the dried off potato slices with the oil and spices until very well coated.  Arrange in a single layer on sheet pans.  Allow at least ¼ inch between slices.
                                     
Now do this:
Bake at 450° for ten minutes.  With tongs, turn each slice over.  Bake another 10 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Eat it like this:

I think all fried-style potatoes should be served piping hot with ketchup.  Others prefer ranch.  You do what you like.

If you’re goin’ rogue:

Switch up the type of spuds you’re using!  Impress your friends and use purple bliss potatoes, why don’t you?  Even small fingerling potatoes would be pretty boss.

Keep this in mind:

Your oven must be preheated.  You’re trying to get these as brown and crispy as possible, without using a deep fryer.  Ideally these spuds will be deep golden brown, crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside.

Miss Bee's Base-ic Frozen Custard

Miss Bee's Base-ic Frozen Custard
This is one of the BEST recipes I have found for frozen custard base.  By base, I mean that you can augment this in many different ways to get a bazillion different flavors.  It takes a certain amount of confidence and skill to master (plus an ice cream maker) but it is well worth the effort.  The end result is dense, rich, buttery and creamy. 

6 large egg yolks

6 T butter
1 C white sugar, divided
¼ t salt
2 C heavy cream
2 C whole milk
1 t vanilla

In preparation, do this:

Make an ice bath:  Fill a large mixing bowl about half full with half ice/half water.  Place a slightly smaller mixing bowl on top of the ice water.  Set aside.

First do this:

In a large sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter.  Once melted,add ½ c sugar and the salt.  Cook until the sugar is melted and homogenized into the butter, about 3-5 minutes.  Add the milk carefully, and cook until the sugar is completely dissolved into the milk, about 3-5 minutes.  Do not let the milk boil over.  Remove from heat.

Then do this:

In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks with the remaining sugar.  Mix until well combined.  Temper the hot milk into the eggs by ladling the milk in small amounts, about ¼ c at a time, into the eggs while constantly stirring.  Temper about ½ of the milk mixture into the eggs.  Transfer the egg/milk mixture into the sauce pan with the remaining milk/sugar mixture.

And then do this:

Cook the custard mixture over low heat until slightly thickened, or nappant.  Remove from heat. 

Now do this:

Pour the thickened custard through a fine sieve into the bowl that has been set atop the ice bath.  Let cool, stirring intermittently to prevent further cooking, and curdling.  Add heavy cream and vanilla.  Once fully cooled, transfer to your ice cream maker and process according to its specifications.

After all of that, do this:

Place into a freezer safe container to ripen (freeze) at 0° for at least 4 hours.  I do not recommend freezing in the container that comes with your ice cream maker (mostly because then you can’t make more custard until this is gone!)

Eat it like this:

It’s frozen custard!  You know what to do!

If you’re goin’ rogue:

I do not advise going rogue with this recipe.  You’ve wandered into pastry territory, and now you’re working with formulas. 

If you want to add nuts, fruit, or other goodies, do so once you have processed the ice cream.  When transferring the fresh frozen custard into the container in which it will be frozen, alternate layers of custard and mix-ins.  Make sure you have chilled these well (frozen is best) beforehand so you don’t undo any of the freezing you just did during processing.

Keep this in mind:

Cooked custard can be finicky.  Have all of your ingredients and supplies ready before you begin.

Do not combine the eggs and sugar together until you are ready to use them.  If you do this too far in advance, a chemical reaction will occur that essentially will start to cook the yolks.  If that happens, you lose the chance to thicken the custard.

The custard is properly thickened when you can dip a wooden spoon into the custard and it will coat the back of the spoon.  When you run your finger down the back of the spoon, the custard will not spread back into the space you wiped away.

Be patient when cooking stirred custard.  If you cook too fast, over too high of heat, you will curdle theeggs.  This will either cause the custard to separate completely, or give it a grainy texture.  Neither of which are entirely delicious.

Your best bet for freezing the custard is to go to your local grocery store and purchase the empty cardboard containers that are used to buy hot soup to-go.  Make sure you place a layer of waxed paper between the custard and the lid, to lock out any creepy freezer flavors that might get in.  (Plastic gets rigid when frozen.  Rigid plastic shatters when dropped.  Yes, I did learn that lesson the hard way.)

Salt and Black Pepper Caramel Apple Ribbon

Salt and Black Pepper Caramel Apple Ribbon
Probably one of my favorite confections of all time is the caramel apple.  What could be better than pairing it with frozen custard?
This is a sister recipe to my Base-ic Frozen Custard.  Can be served hot as a topping, or swirled into the fresh frozen custard before ripening.

Fried Apples

2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, ½“ dice
¼ c butter
¼ c brown sugar
¼ t salt
½ t black pepper

Salted Caramel:

7oz soft caramel candies (1/2 bag)
7oz sweetened condensed milk (1/2 can)
1 t salt

Crunchies

1 c pecans, toasted and roughly chopped

In preparation, do this:

Line a sheet pan with a layer of lightly greased parchment paper that extends past all edges.  Set aside.

First do this:

In a medium sauce pan over low heat, combine the caramel candies, sweetened condensed milk, and salt.  Cook on low, stirring frequently, until caramels are completely melted into the milk.  Do not allow to boil  Remove from heat.  Pour onto the lined sheet tray and allow to cool.

Then do this:

In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter.  Once the butter is melted, add the apples and cook until tender-crisp, about 4-5 minutes.  Add brown sugar, salt, and black pepper.  Cook until the brown sugar has melted and begins to bubble, about 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.

For custard ribbon, now do this:

In freezer-friendly containers, layer with fresh frozen custard in this pattern:  Custard, caramel, apples, pecans, repeat.  When you get to the top, finish with custard.  Seal with a layer of waxed paper between the custard and the lid.  Store in the freezer at 0° and allow to ripen for at least 4 hours. 

For warm topping, eat it like this:

Place 1 or 2 scoops of frozen custard in a sundae dish (don’t use a cereal bowl, you eat with your eyes too!).  Spoon over 2 T of warm salted caramel, 2 T of warm fried apples, and 2 T chopped toasted pecans.

If you’re goin’ rogue:

Yes, you can omit the black pepper… but then how will you shock and impress your friends?

If you want it less sweet, you can omit the brown sugar from the fried apples.  Cook them about 6-8 minutes in total.

Don’t like salted caramel?  Omit all but ¼ t of the salt.  Like it saltier?  Add more salt.

Keep this in mind:

Do not overcook the salted caramel.  You are not further caramelizing it, as much as softening it to create a ribbon.  The darker the caramel, the deeper the flavor, but also the stiffer the caramel.

It’s important to transfer the caramel to the sheet pan to cool.  Keeping it in the pot will cause it to continue to cook, and maybe burn.

Miss Bee's Frosted Flakes

Miss Bee’s Frosted Flakes
“Miss Bee, WHY would I make these when I can just buy them at the store?”  1) Why not?  2)Because then you can go rogue!
I use these as a topping when I want to add a sweet, whimsical crunch to something.  It makes a great topping for frozen custard!

2 c corn flakes

½ c + 2 T white sugar
¼ c water
¼ t salt
Extra water for brushing the sides of the pan

First do this:

In a large sauce pan over medium high heat, combine ½ c sugar, salt, and water.  Cook to soft ball stage (235°-240°).  While the sugar is cooking, occasionally “wash” the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in water.  This will prevent the sugar from crystallizing too soon.

Then do this:

When the sugar has reached soft ball stage, immediately add the cornflakes and carefully toss in the hot sugar until well coated.  Once well coated, sprinkle the remaining 2 T of white sugar over the syrup coated flakes and continue to toss.  This will cause the syrup to crystallize, hence “frosted" flakes.

Now do this:

Transfer into a thin layer onto a sheet tray to cool.

Eat it like this:

Sprinkle over your favorite frozen custard.  Or maybe pair with sour Door County cherries and a little fresh cognac whipped cream?  Toss with tempered 70% bittersweet chocolate for CRAZY GOOD “hay stack” candies.  (If you’re not drooling, something is wrong with you.) 

If you’re goin’ rogue:

The cool thing about this recipe is that you can be really creative with spices.  ½ tsp ground ginger, or black pepper, or cinnamon.  Those are flavors I dig…  I bet you can come up with some pretty boss spice combos too!  Incorporate these into the sugar syrup from the beginning to allow the spices to cook.  Raw cinnamon, ginger, etc, is not the most appealing flavor.

Do you dig sweet/hot combos?  Add a dash of cayenne pepper to the sugar syrup as it’s cooking!

Keep this in mind:

You’re working with sugar syrup here… AKA napalm.  Be very careful when handling this!  I recommend having a bowl of ice water handy just in case you get hot sugar syrup on your skin and need to take the plunge.  If this happens, immediately pop your hand into the ice water and do your best to remove the sugar as quickly as possible.  The worst thing you can do is the “ow it’s hot” wave, because that sugar isn’t going anywhere.  (If you guessed I learned the hard way, you’re right.)

Friday's Food for Thought - Ain't Too Girly to Grill

Ain't Too Girly to Grill

Okay ladies.  Word around these parts says that some of you are a bit scared of the grill.  It’s not totally your fault…  Your testosterone filled counterpart may have given you the impression that it takes a Y chromosome to cook something over an open flame. 

Well, it doesn’t. 

Grilling is just as easy as cooking on a stove.  You can do anything in a grill that you can do in an oven.  Yes, anything.  Even bake a cake. 

Don’t worry, we won’t jump right into the deep end.  You have to learn to walk before you can run.  Slow and steady wins the race.

Had enough inspirational clichés?  Good.  Let’s grill.

Propane vs. Charcoal:

In my opinion, if you have never grilled before, you will have a better first experience if you start out with propane as your fuel.  You can buy table-top propane powered grills at most big-box stores for under $30, and one pound propane canisters are generally less than $5 a piece.  Economical.  Not scary.  I promise if you follow the assembly instructions on the box, you will not blow up. 

You are also able to purchase table-top charcoal grills for a very reasonable price.  Bags of charcoal range from $5-10 for around 5 pounds, depending on if you choose natural lump charcoal or briquettes.  If you want the best flavor, by all means choose natural lump charcoal.  If you don’t want to mess around as much with lighting, then briquettes are probably your best bet.  Personally, I prefer natural lump charcoal.  It’s burnt wood.  Nothing less, usually nothing more.

Start Me Up:

Lighting and pre-heating a propane grill is as simple as turning a knob, and pressing a button or striking a match.   Timing is important, obviously.  Have your flame ready before you open the propane valve.  (You CAN do it the other way around, but then you may sacrifice your eyebrows.)  Once your flame is lit, let it burn for about 5 minutes to pre-heat your grill.  Putting food onto a cold grill will not produce those yummy black char marks.  Your cook time will be a heck of a lot longer too.
 
Lighting charcoal is also pretty easy.  Avoid using lighter fluid.  My philosophy on that is, if you wouldn’t want it in your food, why would you use it to cook your food?  To get the best coals, you should use a charcoal chimney.  These can be purchased at big-box and hardware stores for $10-$15.  Place a few pieces of wadded up paper in the bottom of the chimney, and pile your charcoal on top.  The paper is lit from the bottom, and will in turn light the charcoal.  In about ten minutes you will have a chimney full of glowing coals.  Pour these carefully into your grill, let your grate get hot, and you’re ready to cook. 

Now You’re Cookin’:

The reason I prefer propane grills over charcoal is that the heat is a lot easier to control.  With a turn of the knob you can raise or lower your flame.  Charcoal requires a little more finesse.  The more coals you have burning, the hotter your grill will be.  Additionally, the center of the grill tends to be hotter than the edges.  Cooking over charcoal requires a bit more attention, but in all honesty the grilled flavor is going to be more robust.

Heat Rises:

When you’re grilling you can use direct or indirect heat.  Direct heat requires cooking immediately over the flame or coals.  With Indirect heat, you will be cooking NEXT to the flame or coals.  Use direct heat for searing meats and to cook things quickly.  Indirect heat is better for cooking larger items for longer periods of time.  (Remember, I said you could bake a cake in the grill?)

Clean Get-Away:

When all is said and done, you’re going to need to clean up.  Removing stuck on bits is as simple as this: burn ‘em off!  With the fuel still burning, close the lid and let the stuck on bits fry.  5-10 minutes will usually do the trick.  Anything that WAS stuck on will be charred to a crisp and can be scraped off with a wire grill brush.  And yes, you should scrape these bits off.  Little burnt bits are tasty.  Giant pieces of “homemade natural charcoal” stuck to your kielbasa is not.

Charcoal can only be burned once.  Once the ash has cooled, pour it into a metal container and dispose.  (Natural ashes can be used in many different yard applications.)

Hopefully this has been a helpful little overview to grilling.  Don’t be scared of it, it’s really quite easy.  Besides, if you do the grilling, then he has to do the dishes!

Sweet Basil Lime-Aid

Sweet Basil Lime-Aid
Sweet, tart, and earthy.

2 quarts cold water

¾ c fresh squeezed lime juice
½ c water
½ c sugar
8-10 fresh basil leaves, whole
Sliced lime and basil sprigs, for garnish

First do this:

In a small sauce pan, combine ½ c water and sugar.  Bring to a boil and remove from heat.  Immediately add the basil leaves, steep for about 10 minutes.  Remove wilted basil.  Chill.

Then do this:

Combine 2 quarts cold water, lime juice, and basil syrup.  Stir. 

Serve it like this:

Over ice in a tall glass.  Garnish with a slice of lime and a sprig of basil.

If you’re goin’ rogue:

Use lemon instead of lime!  Use a few sprigs of  thyme instead of basil!

Keep this in mind:

Fresh herbs are a must here.  Otherwise you will be fishing little specks of basil out of your teeth.  Not sexy.

If you use thyme, the leaves may fall off the sprigs during the steeping process.  Just strain these out before chilling.

Tzatziki Sauce

Tzatziki Sauce
Ever eat a gyro?  This is my version of that yummy white sauce that comes on the side.  It’s not just for gyros. 

2 c sour cream

1 English cucumber, peeled
2 t finely minced garlic
2 T lemon juice
1 T salt, divided
½ t black pepper

First do this:

On a cutting board, combine half  of the salt and the garlic.  With the side of your knife, using a “sliding” motion, mash the garlic and the salt together into a paste.

Then do this:

Divide the cucumber in half.  Grate, or finely dice one half of the cuke.  Chop the other half into ¼” cubes.  Combine this with the garlic paste, lemon juice , salt and pepper.  Let sit for about 20 minutes to macerate, and draw liquid out of the cucumber.

Now do this:

Combine the cucumber mixture with the sour cream.  Stir well.  Set aside for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

Eat it like this:

This is awesome with Greek Style Grilled Shrimp,  gryos, grilled chicken, you name it.  I’m a big fan of serving it with oven roasted potatoes.

If you’re goin’ rogue:

Traditionally, this sauce is made with Greek strained yogurt.  I use sour cream because it’s cheaper, and still very delicious.

Some recipes add olive oil, or vinegar, or different herbs like dill or mint.  Try different things out. 

Purists use white pepper instead of black.  I personally enjoy the aesthetic of the little black flecks.  To each their own.  (White pepper is more expensive and harder to find, by the way)

Keep this in mind:

The longer this sauce is allowed to sit, the more the flavors will meld. 

The cukes will continue to expel liquid as the sauce sits.  So, the next morning when you’re digging your leftovers and you see that water has accumulated on the top of your sauce, just stir it in.

Garlic Grilled Pita Bread

Garlic Grilled Pita Bread
Amazingly simple.  Amazingly delicious.

6-8 Plain, pre made pita bread

½ c Extra Virgin olive oil \
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 T flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 t salt
1 t black pepper

First do this:

Pre-heat your grill to HIGH.

Then do this:

On a cutting board, combine half  of the salt and the garlic.  With the side of your knife, using a “sliding” motion, mash the garlic and the salt together into a paste.  Combine the garlic paste with the olive oil, parsley, remaining salt, and pepper.  Let sit for about 10 minutes.

Now do this:

Brush both sides of the pita liberally with the garlic oil mixture.  Grill over high heat, until browned and crispy, about 2 minutes each side.

Eat it like this:

Slice the pita into quarters and serve hot!  Pairs well with grilled shrimp, chicken, beef, you name it.  I love it on the side of a big hearty salad.

If you’re goin’ rogue:

You can use dried parsley.  Cut the measurement in half, though.

This also works well with other flat breads like lavash.  You can even use this for thick sliced crusty breads like baguette or ciabatta.

Keep this in mind:

You may get little burn spots on the pita.  This is totally fine, and totally delicious. 

They taste best warm, but are good cold too.  If you’re going to re-heat, don’t you dare put these in the microwave.  Pre-heat the oven to 200°, wrap the left over pita in an aluminum foil pouch, and warm for about 10 minutes.

Acini de Pepe with Olives and Capers

Acini de Pepe with Olives and Capers
This dish can be served hot or cold.  Its blissfully simple to make, but sure doesn’t taste like it.

4 c cooked acini de pepe pasta

½ c green olives with pimentos
2 T capers
2 T minced red onion
¼ c Extra Virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

To prepare the dressing, first do this:

In a large mixing bowl, roughly crush the olives with the back of a ladle or a dough blender.  No need to slice, the rusticity (use that word to impress your friends) looks great! 

Then do this:

Combine the crushed olives with the capers, onion, and olive oil.  Set aside to allow the flavors to meld.

If you want cold pasta, first do this:

Prepare the acini de pepe per the directions on the package.  While the pasta is cooking, line a sheet pan with one or two layers of flour sack towels, or several layers of paper towel, and fill a large mixing bowl with ice water.

Then do this:

Cook the pasta to your preferred level of doneness.  Immediately drain the pasta from the boiling water and shock it in the ice water until no heat remains.  When the pasta is completely cooled, drain from the ice water and spread out on the towel-lined sheet pan, to absorb any excess water.

Now do this:

Add the cooled and drained pasta to the mixing bowl with the olive mixture.  Toss to combine all ingredients.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

If you want warm pasta, first do this:

Prepare the acini de pepe per the directions on the package.  .  While the pasta is cooking, line a sheet pan with one or two layers of flour sack towels, or several layers of paper towel .  Drain the pasta,  DO NOT RINSE, and transfer to your towel lined sheet pan to absorb any excess water.

Then do this:
Add the hot cooked pasta to the mixing bowl with the olive mixture.  Toss to combine all ingredients.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Eat it like this:

This pasta pairs well with pretty much anything.  Well, except  maybe ice cream.

If you’re goin’ rogue:

This is a really good base for a lot of different add ins.  Want protein?  Add 1 c shredded left over grilled chicken.  Want protein but don’t want meat?  Add 1 c of your favorite bean.  (Kidney, black, or garbanzo, are some good ones.)  Want more veggies?  Add 2 c fresh baby spinach.

For you hot-heads:  add ¼ - ½ t (or more) chili flakes when you’re preparing the dressing.

Keep this in mind:

If you’re making the cold pasta and you don’t cool it completely, it will continue to cook while it sits.  Over cooked pasta makes me sad.

If you don’t eliminate the excess water from the pasta, your salad will be water-logged and bland.