Pasta salad with peppers, tomatoes, and basil

Pasta salads are built for summers, they are light and easy to have on hot days. Here is a lovely recipe that is simple to make and always a treat.

I used orzo or risoni pasta, small and shaped like a grain of rice. You can substitute any small pasta of your choice. The salad has a lot of ingredients, but is essentially a toss-together job, so easy to make. Please leave a nice bite of pasta, or the salad will become soggy as it sits. I loved how the fresh tomatoes added acid, along with the light vinegar, and the herbs and olives added a lovely earthiness to the dish. This pasta can easily become a light meal.

Deborah Madison was one of the first chefs to embrace the farm-to-table movement when she opened her restaurant Greens, one that I have dined at a few times. Her cookbooks are lovely, and this one, in particular, is amazing. Simple recipes that are loaded with flavour. Like me, you should get all her cookbooks; each is a masterpiece!

For more wonderful recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients: 10 oz. Orzo or risoni pasta, or other pasta of your choice, like bow-tie, macaroni, or other.

2 cups cherry tomatoes of different colours, cut in half

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram

1 teaspoon dried oregano

3 tablespoons capers, minced

1/4 cup green olives, sliced

1/4 cup black olives, sliced

3-4 shalloys, thinly sliced

1 yellow pepper, finely diced

1 red pepper, finely diced

1/2 cup basil, cut into thin strips + to garnish

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon pepper

Salt, to taste

Zest and juice of 1 lime

4 tablespoons olive oil

2-3 tablespoons sherry or red wine vinegar

NOTE: You can use fresh herbs for the dried ones if you have them.

Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, minus one minute for al dente. Drain and cool completely under running water to keep the pasta form. Toss in 1 tablespoon of olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking. Please do not overcook the pasta; it will begin to turn mushy in the salad, giving it a gooey texture.

Add the cooled pasta to a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Toss well. Allow the salad to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes; the longer, the better.

Serve chilled in a bowl, garnished with basil.