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Insalata di pasta
Pasta fredda: cold fusilli with cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, olives and basil for the summer schiscetta
When Milan's offices empty onto park benches in July, the schiscetta (the Milanese word for a packed lunch tin) usually holds pasta fredda: short pasta dressed with olive oil, sweet cherry tomatoes, little mozzarella balls, black olives and torn basil. It is made the night before and tastes best at cool room temperature, never fridge-cold. The common mistake is rinsing the cooked pasta under the tap until it is icy and then dressing it: the starch closes up, the oil slides off and the salad tastes flat. Many mozzarellas are made with animal rennet, so look for one labelled vegetarian, or use cubes of a vegetarian cheese. Pack it with an ice pack and take it out of the bag 20 minutes before eating. Chef's tip: toss the drained, still-warm pasta with half the oil and the salted tomatoes straight away so it drinks up their juice.
- Total time
- 27 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 11 ½ oz short pasta (fusilli or penne)
- 1 tbsp saltfor the pasta water, plus a pinch
- 10 ½ oz cherry tomatoeshalved
- 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 7 oz mini mozzarella balls (bocconcini)drained; vegetarian (no animal rennet)
- 2 ⅞ oz pitted black oliveshalved
- 1 handful fresh basilleaves torn
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp black pepperfreshly ground
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Bring a large pan of water to a rolling boil with 1 tbsp salt. Add 11 ½ oz short pasta (fusilli or penne) and cook for 1 minute less than the packet says, until just al dente: bite a piece and you should see a faint white dot in the middle.
11 minStep 2: While it cooks, put 10 ½ oz cherry tomatoes in a large bowl with a pinch of salt and ½ tsp dried oregano and leave them to release their juice.
Step 3: Drain the pasta well, shaking off the water, but do not rinse. Tip it into the bowl, add 2 ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil and toss so every piece is glossy. Spread it out and leave to cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes, stirring once.
Step 4: Stir in 7 oz mini mozzarella balls (bocconcini), 2 ⅞ oz pitted black olives, 1 handful fresh basil, ¼ tsp black pepper and the rest of 2 ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Taste and add salt if needed.
Step 5: Spoon into lunch boxes, cover and chill overnight if making ahead. Pack with an ice pack and eat within 2 days; stir before eating.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 470 kcal
- Protein
- 16 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does insalata di pasta take?
- About 27 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 12 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of cherry tomatoes?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
- What can I use instead of fresh basil?
- Baby spinach with a little mint (for colour and freshness).
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