Mediterranean pasta salad with arugula

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 350 g pasta (e.g. mini fussili)
• 10 tomatoes, dried, pickled in oil
• 100 g pine nuts
• 100 g green olives, pitted
• 2 artichoke hearts, pickled
• 70 g arugula
• 70 g sheep’s cheese
• 50 ml olive oil (equivalent to approx. 5 tbsp)
• 25 ml balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper
• 1 handful of basil (approx. 10 leaves)

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

Cook the pasta according to the package instructions until al dente and drain. In the meantime, prepare a dressing with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, pepper, and salt. Add the warm pasta and toss well. Toss well several times while it’s cooling. Add the remaining ingredients once the pasta has cooled. Dice the sun-dried tomatoes, halve the olives, quarter the artichokes, and dice the feta cheese. Briefly toast the pine nuts in a grease-free pan (2-3 minutes) until golden brown, then add them once cooled. Slice the arugula in half and roughly chop the basil leaves. Toss both into the salad just before serving. Then season with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, pepper, and salt to taste. The salad is also great to prepare the day before. It’s important to add the arugula shortly beforehand; it simply looks fresher. You can vary the salad as you like, but I would never leave out the tomatoes. They give it that sunny Mediterranean flavor.