John Myers
Ingredients for 4 servings:
- 500 g penne rigate or farfalle
- 1 piece(s) feta cheese made from sheep’s milk (approx. 150 – 180 g)
- 1 onion(s)
- 10 cocktail tomatoes
- 1 bag of pine nuts
- 15 vine leaves, pickled
- 1 jar Ajvar, hot (approx. 350 g)
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tbsp lemon or lime juice
- Sliced olives, optional
Instructions
Working time approx. 45 minutes; Rest period approx. 1 day; Cooking/baking time approx. 10 minutes; Total time approx. 1 day 55 minutes
Cook the pasta in well-salted water (the less salt you’ll need later, the less salt you’ll need). Toast the pine nuts in a pan. Chop the other ingredients into small pieces, cut the feta into approximately 5 mm cubes, roll up 5 vine leaves each, cut the roll lengthwise 3-4 times, then crosswise into 5 mm wide strips. Quarter the tomatoes lengthwise, then make 2-3 crosswise slices. Halve the onion lengthwise, cut the halves into 5-7 slices, then thinly slice crosswise. Combine all ingredients, season with pepper, salt, thyme, and lemon juice, mix well, and let stand for a day. Sliced black olives can be added for visual appeal; this shouldn’t make much of a difference to the flavor. The spiciness of the ajvar will be distributed throughout the salad, making it a tangy salad at best. The vine leaves add extra bite, the thyme adds a Mediterranean flair, and the lemon juice adds a dash of freshness. All in all, a hearty, rustic pasta salad that tastes good not only in summer.
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