Recently, I was complaining to my friend Erica De Mane, author of Pasta Improvvisata (Simon & Schuster, June 1999), that I could never make a good pasta salad or find any tasty ones in the prepared-food section at my local market. Try as I did, they always turned out either really bland or with so much flavor that they completely confused the palate. Erica, who is passionate about pasta salad, said: "Of all the crimes committed against pasta dishes in America, nothing bugs me more than the injustices inflicted on pasta salad. In Italy, especially south of Rome, you'll find pasta salads made with impeccably fresh seafood, cured meats, and seasonal vegetables -- all punctuated with fresh herbs and sweet garlic and glossed with exquisite extra virgin olive oil. But in America, I sometimes see this beautiful and authentic Italian dish turned into a gummy, incongruous mess."

Here is one of Erica's favorite springtime pasta salads, plus her list of do's and don'ts with all you need to know about how to get pasta salad right. If you follow these simple tips you will be cooking authentic, absolutely delicious pasta salads with real integrity, they way they do in Italy.