Deli Pasta Salad

This delightful recipe with juicy cherry tomatoes, crisp pancetta, courgette, basil, olives, parmesan and creamy bocconcini hails from the New York neighbourhood of Little Italy and is very different from American pasta salads, which are typically made with mayonnaise, celery and apples.

SALAD

300g farfalle (bow tie) pasta

40g (¼ cup) pine nuts

1 courgette

1 shallot

Olive oil for frying

80g pancetta

125g cherry tomatoes

1 yellow or orange capsicum

80g (½ cup) sun-dried tomatoes in oil 50g (½ cup) pitted black olives ½ bunch basil

125g bocconcini

DRESSING

4 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar 10 tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon dried oregano ½ teaspoon dried thyme

Salt and freshly ground pepper Pinch of sugar

50g parmesan

Cook pasta in boiling salted water according to packet instructions until al dente. Drain, refresh under cold water and drain again thoroughly.

Dry-roast pine nuts in a frypan until golden brown.

Wash and trim courgette, halve lengthwise and slice.

Peel shallot and slice into rings. Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and fry courgette and shallots for a few minutes. Remove and set aside.

Dice pancetta, add to the same pan and fry until crisp.

Halve or quarter tomatoes. Deseed capsicum, remove any white membrane and dice finely. Dice sun-dried tomatoes. Drain olives and slice into rings. Rinse basil, shake off excess water and pick off the leaves. Drain bocconcini and cut or tear into small pieces.

Combine all the prepared salad ingredients in a large bowl.

Whisk together all the dressing ingredients except the parmesan, and season with salt, pepper and sugar. Finely grate parmesan and stir into dressing.

Toss the salad with the dressing. Leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving. Season again to taste if needed with extra vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Serves 4-6