Turning the dirty martini into the perfect pasta salad

The pasta salad combines the olive brine mixer, olive oil and lemon zest to create a simple but effective dressing. The essence of a dirty martini is there in both taste and aroma with the bright, briny olive juice and enough citrus to evoke my preferred martini lemon-peel garnish.

You can use any pasta shape you like, chopped feta cheese, diced green olives, and Castelvetrano olives for the salad. I like to add grated garlic and a splash of red wine vinegar for extra punch.

I made the salad when the temperature hovered around 90 degrees. It takes 10 minutes to make and serves four to six people.

Read at Los Angeles Times