Beat the pasta-salad blahs this summer

It's a curse of summer, a blight on the picnic table: all those bowls of soggy, tasteless pasta salads.

Pasta salads can, in fact, serve as a tasty, affordable way to feed a crowd. The problem is so many of them are boring. Many have an unpleasant, cloying tang that leaves you scraping the top of your tongue with your teeth.

Overcome the curse with a few handy tips.

• Don't overcook the pasta. Aim for "al dente" (literally "to the teeth"), cooked through but still firm when you bite into it.

• Drain the pasta well. This is especially important with shapes (like tubes and shells) that can trap water. Cooking water will dilute flavors.

• Go for crunch and color: bell peppers, carrots, zucchini and scallions.

• Fresh ingredients really matter. Fresh herbs, freshly squeezed lemon juice, freshly ground pepper - these make a difference you can taste.

• Homemade dressing trumps bottled every time. If you think you don't have time, go for a simple 2/3 cup oil to 1/3 cup vinegar, salt and pepper, and maybe a bit of mustard and a pinch of sugar.

• Check out new recipes. The new book "Memorable Recipes to Share with Family and Friends" by Renee Behnke (2009 Andrews McMeel) contains two recipes that will cure you of the pasta-salad blahs.

•Marialisa Calta is the author of "Barbarians at the Plate: Taming and Feeding the American Family" (Perigee, 2005). For more information, visit marialisacalta.com.

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>Recipes</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> </div> <div class="recipeLink"> <ul class="moreLinks"> <li><a href="/story/?id=308324" class="mediaItem">Confetti Pasta Salad With Tangy Yogurt Dressing</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=308323" class="mediaItem">Couscous With Vegetables and Herbs</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>