Smokey Southwestern Pasta Salad

Ingredients

• 1 lb shell pasta or orecchiette
• 1 lime, juice and zest of
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon cumin seed, toasted & ground
• 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
• 4-8 ounces smoked mozzarella cheese, diced
• 1 small red onion, finely diced or 2 shallots, finely diced
• 1 small red bell pepper, finely diced
• 3 jalapeno peppers, finely diced
• 8-12 ounces frozen corn kernels
• 1 (12 ounce) can black beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 (12 ounce) can flame-roasted diced tomatoes, drained
• salt & pepper
• ground dried chili

Directions

1. 1

   Cook the pasta until al dente, then drain & shock to stop the cooking process.

2. 2

   While the pasta is cooking, zest the lime & reserve zest to one side.

3. 3

   Roll the lime on your counter, placing enough pressure to soften the pulp inside without breaking the lime's skin, then squeeze the juice into a large-sized bowl (something big enough to eventually hold all the ingredients).

4. 4

   Add the olive oil to the lime juice, whisk briefly, then add the cumin, oregano, cilantro & half the lime zest. Whisk thoroughly.

5. 5

   Put all ingredients except the pasta into the bowl & toss to coat. Taste at this point, adding salt, pepper and/or chiles as needed.

6. 6

   Return the cool pasta to its pot. Pour the contents of the bowl over the pasta and stir together to combine.

7. 7

   Pour the pasta mix back into the bowl, sprinkle the remaining lime zest over the top to garnish, then cover & chill until ready to serve.