Pasta salad with arugula, garlic, pesto and cheese

Ingredients for 5 servings:

• 1 bag of penne
• salt water
• 1 jar pesto, green
• 1 pack of cheese (Gouda) in one piece
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 bunch of arugula
• 1 small jar of olive oil
• Chili flakes or
• 1 chili pepper(s), diced
• Sea salt
• pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Rest time approx. 2 hours; Total time approx. 2 hours 20 minutes

the hit at all parties and buffets

Cook the pasta in heavily salted water for 10-12 minutes, until tender (according to the package instructions). Drain and let cool. Meanwhile, wash the arugula thoroughly, dry it, and cut it in half (leave the stems on). Cut the cheese into thumb-thick cubes. Place both in a large bowl and mix well so the cheese can absorb some of the moisture from the arugula. Spoon the entire contents of the pesto jar into a cocktail shaker (or a narrow mixing bowl with a lid). Add a generous amount of salt and pepper, and chili flakes or a diced chili pepper if desired. Finely chop the garlic cloves (do not press them!) and add them to the blender. Put the lid on and shake everything vigorously for about 1 minute (note: hold the lid firmly with your other hand—pesto oil is difficult to remove from carpets or clothes). Add the cooled pasta (do not add butter, otherwise the pasta won’t absorb the sauce) from the colander to the arugula and cheese and toss everything together again. Then pour the sauce from the cocktail shaker over it (it could theoretically still be quite thick). Fill the empty pesto jar halfway with olive oil. Close the lid and mix the leftover pesto with the oil. Add the remaining pesto to the bowl as well. This will make the dressing nice and smooth. Toss the whole salad thoroughly, cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours so the pasta can properly absorb the sauce and the garlic can develop its flavor.