Lemon-Garlic Pasta Salad With Grilled Chorizo

This is a great summertime lunch dish. I created it at my parents summer home in West Hampton Dunes, NY in summer 2010. Great on it's own or with a side salad. Since it can be served at room temperature, it is a wonderful picnic item or for an al fresco lunch. You could also serve this vegetarian by mixing in a drained and rinsed can of cannellini beans instead of sausage.

• Ready In: 20 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 2  garlic cloves
• 1  tablespoon coarse salt
• 1  lemon, zested and juiced
• 2  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1  pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1  teaspoon dried oregano
• 1  lb penne
•  black pepper, freshly ground
• 6  chorizo sausages, grilled
• 1  cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese, grated

Directions

1. Boil the pasta in salted water until al dente, about 8-10 minutes. About 1 minute before the pasta is done, take about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid out of the pan before you drain the pasta. Reserve this liquid.
2. Meanwhile, chop the garlic cloves with the coarse salt and smash it into a paste. (This takes away any strong burn of raw garlic.) Mix the garlic with the lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, tomatoes, pepper and oregano.
3. Toss the hot pasta into the lemon-garlic sauce. As you toss the pasta through, add some of the cooking liquid little by little until it forms a sauce, you probably won't need all of the pasta water. Mix in the cheese. Taste for seasoning, add a bit more salt and pepper if you think it needs it.
4. Slice the cooked sausage into bit size pieces and mix it into the pasta. Let the pasta sit covered for 5 minutes to let the flavors mingle.
5. Serve warm or at room temperature.