Pesto Pasta Salad

I was torn because I’ve been in a salad mood (after Passover and matzah) between two salad recipes I’ve just whipped up but chose to go with this pesto pasta, a cold salad that tastes delicious even after sitting in the fridge a coupla days. (Patience is a virtue, I will explain this). You can toss the pasta with the prepared pesto sauce (recipe included- non dairy by the by) and don’t add the other ingredients until you’re ready to chow down and it’ll keep well. It’s simple enough to throw together and if you really don’t wanna make a big effort you can simply buy a jar of good pesto sauce and cheat. I won’t tell, I promise. BUT, there’s just something so special about freshly made pesto, I find it’s worth the effort and tastes like a bite of spring. I actually got the idea for this by picking up a to go salad from a restaurant I really like (La Patissiere) and copied the ingredients. It’s relatively simple.

So gather your ingredients

and as you can see, aside from the pesto ingredients it’s cherry tomatoes, ripe (black) olives, pitted, pasta and salt for the water and feta cheese, easy peasy.

If you’re gonna make your own pesto, prepare it first to be ready to toss with the warm pasta.

So take your cleaned basil leaves with the tough stalks trimmed (you don’t have to make yourself crazy over this since it’ll be chopped in your blender or food processor. I just get rid of the thickest bits) and place in a blender or processor like so:

K. Now right on top add your salt, pine nuts, crushed garlic and olive oil. The whole lot at one time, no need to drizzle it in.

K. That’s the whole deal. You might need a tiny bit more oil to thin a bit but first blend or process at high speed.

as you can see above, I leave it fairly thick. You can thin it if you wish with some olive oil but since you’re going to toss about half the amount with the pasta, it’s not really necessary. K. Set the pesto aside for the moment.

Take a large pot, fill with water and place a tablespoon of salt in it and bring to the rolling boil.

Cook pasta according to the package ingredients. Don’t overcook since the pasta is absorbing the pesto and this will also soften it somewhat.

Drain thoroughly and rinse with cool water and drain again.

Place pasta while still warm in a large bowl (remember you’re also adding the tomatoes and olives and need to toss it all). Dollop at least half a cup of your pesto on to the pasta.

Toss very well till pasta is fully coated and turns green (this is really cool btw).

Okey dokey. Ya wanna pop this in the fridge (covered) as is since you’re not eating it yet? Fine. This can also sit nicely overnight in the fridge if you want. When ready to serve, slice your cherry tomatoes in half or in quarters depending how big they are, drain your black olives and slice in half and toss with the pasta. By the by, since I made a great deal for just us two chickadees, I placed the amount each of us was able to eat in separate bowls/plates and individually tossed with the tomatoes and olives. If you have enough people to demolish the whole lot then you can use it all. Crown your pasta with the feta cheese, crumbling it between your fingers (yup I wear my gloves) and serve at room temperature. Kinda awesome with a glass of white wine.

Pesto Pasta Salad

Pesto:

4 cups washed, cleaned basil leaves, ends trimmed (no tough stalks)
2 teaspoons crushed garlic
1 rounded teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (112 ml) good quality olive oil – you may need a few more tablespoons to thin it
3/4 cup (100 grams) pine nuts

Pasta Salad:

500 grams (approximately a pound) of rotini or fusilli pasta
1 tablespoon salt for pasta water
1/3-1/2 cup black pitted olives
12 large cherry tomatoes
200 grams (7 ounces) feta cheese

Directions:

For the pesto, place basil leaves, crushed garlic (yes, crush it beforehand or it might leave nasty big chunks instead of being smooth), salt, olive oil and pine nuts into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. If a bit too thick, add a few more tablespoons of olive oil. Set aside. A note, you will have leftover pesto which you can either add in little dollops to your individual plate or save for another salad or myriad other dishes (chicken, potatoes, etc.).

For the pasta salad, bring a large pot of water to the boil and salt it and make sure it’s really a rolling boil. Add the pasta, bring back to the boil and cook according to package directions. Drain pasta in a colander and rinse briefly, draining again. Place warm pasta in large bowl and place at least half a cup of the pesto on top. Toss well till pasta is completely coated and turns green. First option, slice black olives in half, cherry tomatoes in halves or quarters (depending how big they are) and toss well with pasta. Crumble the feta over the top of the salad. Pass the leftover pesto around in a nice bowl.