Elizabeth Hewson’s light and summery pasta salad recipe
Pasta salads have a bad name and I have a lot of prejudice against them. But this one has a lot going for it.
This may look like a pasta salad, but I’d like to position it as a pasta dish, served at room temperature, which is very welcome at this time of year. Pasta salads have a bad name and I have a lot of prejudice against them. When I think of pasta salads, I think of the overly sweet, stodgy ones with grated carrot that you find in salad bars. But this one has a lot going for it, including a cherry tomato vinaigrette and a big ball of burrata. To successfully serve a dish like this, there are a few things you need to do.
Be extra generous with the salt in your pasta cooking pot. You need to season more aggressively when eating food cool. Don’t leave the pasta to cool in a colander and whatever you do, don’t rinse it. Drain, coat generously with a beautiful olive oil and spread out on a tray to cool (not the fridge, we don’t want it cold).
No raw vegies or big lettuce leaves please, this is not a garden salad. Instead let the pasta be the hero among a sharp dressing, lots of fresh herbs and salty things (here I’ve gone with capers).
Pasta salad
Ingredients
- 140ml (7 tablespoons) extra virgin olive oil
- 300g cherry tomatoes
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 300g dried short pasta (I like farfalle)
- 1 bunch chives, finely chopped
- 1 bunch dill, leaves, finely chopped
- ½ bunch parsley, leaves, finely chopped
- 1/4 bunch basil, leaves kept whole
- 2 tablespoon capers, drained
- 1 zest of lemon
- Salt and pepper
- 125 g ball of burrata
Method
- To start, make the tomato vinaigrette. Cut half the cherry tomatoes in halves, leaving the rest whole. Put a saucepan over low heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil along with garlic clove and swirl around pan for 20 seconds, ensuring it does not burn. Add in all cherry tomatoes and cook for 6-8 minutes, gently pressing a wooden spoon against them to help coax out juices.
- Turn off heat. Add 3 more tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar. Season generously with salt. That’s your tomato vinaigrette done, and yes, it’s quite sharp but you do need it like that. Leave to cool.
- Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a rapid boil. Season generously with salt. Cook pasta until al dente. Drain pasta, then toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Lay pasta out, in a single layer on a tray to cool slightly. Do not put in fridge.
- When the pasta is warm to touch, transfer to a big bowl. Add the chopped herbs, keeping the basil leaves whole to prevent bruising. Add capers and lemon zest. Pour over the cooled tomato vinaigrette and a heavy grind of pepper. Toss everything together. Taste and season. It might need a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve on big plate, top with cheese and drizzle with oil for extra sparkle.
Note: If you can’t find burrata, buffalo mozzarella, or full-fat ricotta works well.
Serves 4 as a starter