A CO-STAR side - beefy, good and nearly the hero. Pack it for a picnic, put it next to some grilled meat, add some tuna for a lunch, or just have it by itself with a sprinkling of chilli.
Serves: 6-8 as a side, or 4-5 as a main
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS
2 anchovies
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
juice of 1 lemon
big pinch of salt
1/2 tbsp honey
1 garlic clove, smashed, plus 4 garlic cloves, cut into slivers
250g cherry tomatoes, halved (go harder if your crowd likes them)
1/4 cup grated hard cheese, such as ricotta salata, parmesan or pecorino, plus extra to finish
1/4 cup good olive oil
500g pasta shells
handful of dill, parsley and oregano, finely chopped
4 very small spring onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
chilli flakes, to serve (optional)
METHOD
Put a large saucepan of salted water on to boil for the pasta.
Mash the anchovies in the bottom of a large salad bowl. Add the mustard, lemon juice, salt and honey and mix that around, then add the smashed garlic clove just to macerate in all of those tangy things.
Slice the cherry tomatoes in half into the bowl. I would have gone harder on the cherry tomatoes here, however, it was just our family and most of the people avoid them, so I just put enough in for the likers. Add the cheese and give it a stir, then let that just sit in those acidic juices until you're ready to finish up.
Pan fry the slivered garlic in the olive oil in a small saucepan until golden. Use good olive oil, because the entire saucepan of oil and garlic is going into the tomato mixture to become the oil side of the dressing. Tip the oil straight in and let it sizzle, slightly soften and warm the other ingredients. Stir it around.
Cook the pasta until al dente. Shells are the perfect little vessel for picking up saucy deliciousness and easy to eat with a spoon, so they're the ideal salad pasta, in my opinion.
Keep the chopped herbs and spring onions to the side until the last minute.
Scoop the pasta straight from the pasta water into the salad bowl on top of the dressing, so you get a little bit of soupy pasta water. Give it a really good stir, then add the herbs, some more of the cheese and the extra virgin olive oil. Perfect zingy.
MAKE IT A MAIN
Add crispy speck, a shredded roast chook or some tuna for a lunch.
Throw peas, beans or broccoli into the pasta water for the last couple of minutes of cooking.
HINTS
Ricotta salata, parmesan or pecorino all work here - use whichever hard cheese you have.
If your crowd likes cherry tomatoes, go harder on them than I did.
Pack it for a picnic, put it next to some grilled meat, or just have it by itself with a sprinkling of chilli.
NUTRITION (per recipe total - guide only):
Energy: approx. 2,900 kcal (12,200 kJ)
Protein: approx. 80g
Fat: approx. 115g
Carbohydrate: approx. 390g
Sodium: approx. 1,600mg (excluding salt in the pasta water)
This nutrition information is a guide only and may vary depending on brands, exact quantities, and ingredient substitutions used.