This vibrant contemporary pasta salad features a flavourful parsley-hazelnut dressing, complemented by crunchy whole roasted hazelnuts. Roasted cherry tomatoes add a burst of sweetness, while briny olives and creamy feta cheese provide a savory contrast. This forms a tasty base for many protein options.
INGREDIENTS TO SERVE SIX
300gm cherry tomatoes
salt and pepper
extra virgin olive oil
½ cup whole hazelnuts
200gm Casareccia or other short pasta shape
150gm feta, crumbled
½ cup pitted kalamata olives roughly chopped
80-100gm rocket
HAZELNUT DRESSING
½ cup whole hazelnuts extra
20gm flat-leaf parsley (leaves and tender stalks)
2Tbsp sherry or apple cider vinegar
1-2Tbsp water
⅓ cup/80ml extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
COOKS NOTES
- Make this salad with short pasta shape of your choice or replace with 2-3 cups cooked brown rice.
- Add sliced smoked chicken, strips of salami or crisp fried bacon to salad, or serve with Italian sausages, roasted chicken thighs or pan-fried chicken breast slices.
- Pre-roast tomatoes up to 2 days in advance (I throw them in when I’ve got the oven on for something else I’m cooking). Store refrigerated until needing. Cut tomatoes horizontally for best presentation. If you are short of time, cook at 180C for 25 minutes, the flavour will not be as deep but they’ll still be good.
- For a speedy version use sun-dried tomatoes in place of roasted.
- For convenience, pre-roast 1 cup hazelnuts. Roasted hazelnuts can be kept in the freezer for up to 2 months. Removing skin from hazelnuts should take no longer than a minute or so as it’s not necessary to remove every tiny fleck!
- I recommend using the Kitchen2Kitchen brand of marinated kalamata olives.
- Replace rocket with a leafy salad mix or baby spinach leaves if preferred.
- Salt will balance out the sour vinegar in dressing. If tasting too sharp, add more salt. The salad can take a fairly well seasoned dressing as pasta is inherently bland so is a great carrier of flavours.
- Dress pasta close to serving so it doesn’t have time to absorb all the dressing leaving it dry.
METHOD
- Pre-heat oven to 180°C. roast hazelnuts on baking tray for 12 minutes, until the nuts smell toasty and skin is papery. Remove and cool. Rub nuts in clean tea towel to remove most of skin.
- Turn oven down to 160°C. Cut cherry tomatoes in half and toss in bowl with salt and pepper and about 1½ tablespoons olive oil. Lay spaced apart on large non-stick paper lined baking tray, cut side up. roast for 45 to 60 minutes, until shrunken and looking fairly dried out. Set aside.
- Boil pasta according to instructions on packet in a large saucepan of well salted boiling water.
- Meanwhile make dressing with stick or jug blender. Place ½ cup roasted hazelnuts in jug with parsley, vinegar, water and olive oil. Add a good pinch salt and a grind of black pepper and blend until combined. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.
- Drain pasta when cooked and set aside to cool.
- Prepare remaining salad components.
- Close to serving, rinse pasta and drain well. Toss with dressing.
- Layer dressed pasta, rocket leaves and remaining hazelnuts, feta and olives on a large platter. Top with roasted tomatoes and serve.
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