Pasta salad is the epitome of summer. Its perfect for those hot summer evenings when the thought of cooking is just too much. Throw a steak on the barbecue and dinner is ready in a flash. Yellow cherry tomatoes look really pretty in the finished salad but are often hard to come by. If they’re not available just use 2 punnets of red cherry tomatoes.
Pasta Salad
Serves: 6
- 500g small shell-shaped pasta
- 3 garlic cloves, skins on
- 1 punnet (240g) yellow cherry tomatoes
- 1 punnet (240g) red cherry tomatoes
- 1 handful of black olives, pitted
- 2 tbs fresh chives
- 1 handful of fresh basil
- 1 lebanese cucumber
- 4 tbs white wine vinegar, or to taste
- 8 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Throw in the pasta and cloves of garlic, simmer until al dente, and drain. Put the garlic to one side to use for the dressing. Put the pasta into a bowl.
- Chop the tomatoes, olives, chives, basil and cucumber into pieces about half the size of the pasta and add to the bowl.
- Squash the garlic cloves out of their skins and pound in a mortar and pestle. Add the vinegar, oil and seasoning. Drizzle this over the salad, adding a little more seasoning to taste.
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