Ingredients:

For the pasta salad:

½ box penne

1 tin Fishwife Smoked Salmon

1 medium head of radicchio, thinly sliced

1 large fennel bulb (or 2 small ones), thinly sliced

⅓ cup pitted and sliced castelvetrano olives

1 small handful basil, thinly sliced

1 small handful fennel fronds

1 batch caesar dressing, recipe follows

For the caesar dressing:

1 egg yolk, preferably from pasture raised eggs

1 tsp dijon mustard

3 large garlic cloves

2 Fishwife anchovy filets

⅔ cup mild olive oil

3 tbsp lemon juice

⅔ cup grated parmesan

1 tsp worcestershire

Generous grind of black pepper

Salt to season

Preparation:

Cook half a box of penne according to the package instructions. Drain, and set aside to cool.

Add the garlic cloves and anchovy filets to the base of your mortar and pestle* and pound them into as smooth of a paste as you can without exhausting your patience. Add the egg yolk, mustard, and a pinch of salt to the mortar, and gently stir to combine. If you are leaning in to the full rustic appeal of this approach, please feel free to use the pestle to emulsify the dressing. Drop by drop start adding the olive oil to the mortar, whisking all the while. Once you see the base of the emulsification start to thicken and come together, you can start adding the oil in a more consistent thin stream - always whisking as you go. Once you’ve added all of the oil the texture should be akin to a loose mayo.

Add the lemon juice, worcestershire, parmesan and black pepper. Stir to combine. Taste for seasoning. You want the dressing to be bright, assertive, and well seasoned. If it is lacking depth, add a bit more parmesan. If it is missing brightness, add a bit more lemon. If it is lacking punch, add a bit more black pepper. If the flavors just aren’t popping, add another pinch of salt and/or another dash or worcestershire. Your palate will forever be the best judge of how delicious something can be.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the listed ingredients for the pasta salad and mix to combine. This is best done with your hands to properly coat all of the nooks and crannies in saucy goodness. Enjoy as the star of a summer picnic!

*If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, you can easily make this dressing in a heavy bottomed bowl. Instead of pounding the garlic and anchovy, you can microplane the garlic and make a paste out of the anchovy by first finely chopping it and then using the flat edge of your knife to smoosh it into a paste on your cutting board. Simply follow the above directions for emulsifying the dressing, and then fold the microplaned garlic and anchovy paste in as you add the lemon juice, parmesan, etc.