Lemon Fettuccine Salad

I've been testing out various versions of this recipe for several weeks now,

and this version is by far the best so far. I'll still be trying out variations for

a while yet, but this one is the closest to what I've been looking for.

Ingredients:

8 - 10 ozs. fettuccine

1/4 cup grated parmesan

3 tablespoons of champagne vinegar

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh dill, minced

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, minced

1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest

1/2 - 1 teaspoon salt

1. Cook fettuccine according to instructions. When done, remove from heat,

drain, and place in bowl. Stir in grated parmesan immediately so that it melts.

2. While pasta cools a bit, stir together the champagne vinegar, olive oil, lemon

juice, and pepper to form the basis of the dressing.

3. When pasta has cooled for 6 - 8 minutes, stir in vinegar/oil/lemon juice/ pepper

dressing. Then add remaining ingredients and stir together thoroughly. Refrigerate

and serve chilled.

NOTES:

1. I happened to have some Al Dente brand Lemon and Chive Fettuccine, but any

type will do, as will (I imagine) most other forms of pasta. I'm going to try this with

angel hair pasta next time, I believe.

2. White wine vinegar should work instead of champagne vinegar, but, as it has a

slightly lower alcohol content (usually about 5% as opposed to around 7%), you might

need to use a bit more to get the same degree of zipiness.

3. I love dill, but I'm thinking of trying basil rather than dill in the next batch; either should

work well. The same applies to cilantro rather than Italian parsley if you happen to prefer

it.

4. The lemon flavor from the lemon zest increases with time; after 48 hours in the refrigerator,

the lemoniness is more intense than earlier. You may want to experiment with the amount of

zest to use if you're going to keep the salad around for two or three days.

5. I haven't yet quite gotten the exact amount of salt quite right; I've had to add some when

serving this version, so that's something else you might want to experiment with.

6. Though I haven't tried it yet, I would think some diced tomato would blend into this salad

very well.

Addendum:

I have received a suggestion that cold cooked shrimp or scallops would go well in this salad;

that sounds like a great idea to me. Thanks, Annie.