Greek Pasta Salad

The end of May is my favourite time of the year. The marchés become more vibrant in colour as fruits and vegetables start to come into season. Cherries make an appearance. It stays light until about 9:30 at night. It is when the tennis Grand Slam ‘Roland Garros’ (French Open) is played in Paris. I usually have a house full of tennis mad guests. We spend hours watching, talking and playing tennis, touring the city and enjoying late evening dinners.

This is my favourite pasta salad. I make it to take to Roland Garros, on picnics, for the cottage and on road trips. It can be made a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator.

Greek Pasta Salad
Serves 4 - 6

1 L (4 cups) farfalle*
125 mL (½ cup) cucumber, seeded and diced
250 mL (1 cup) cherry tomatoes
½ small red onion, chopped
125 mL (½ cup) Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
60 mL (¼ cup) fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
125 mL (½ cup) feta cheese, crumbled

Dressing:
60 mL (¼ cup) extra virgin olive oil
45 mL (3 Tbsp) lemon juice
5 mL (1 tsp) anchovy paste
1 clove garlic, minced
2.5 mL (½ tsp) dried oregano
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Dressing:
Combine all ingredients in a jar with tightly fitting lid. Shake well to blend.

Pasta:
Cook farfalle (following directions on pasta package) until al dente); drain well. Place in a serving bowl and toss with half of the dressing. Let cool to room temperature.

Salad:
Add cucumber, tomatoes, onion; olives, parsley and feta to the pasta and toss well with dressing.

*bowtie or butterfly shaped pasta