Recipe & photography by Ed Barrow.
Ingrdients
- 120g of cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 tsp of dried oregano
- 150g of Northern Pasta Co Radiatori
- 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
- Small handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1/2 a garlic clove, finely grated
- 1 tsp of Dijon mustard
- Roughly 20 large basil leaves
Method
Start by preheating the oven to 120C fan. Lay the tomatoes out on an oven tray and drizzle with a little olive oil. Season with salt and pepper then sprinkle over the dried oregano. Place into the oven and roast for 1 hour until they look shrivelled and have dried out a little.
After 45 minutes, cook the pasta in a pan of well salted boiling water for 5 minutes or until al-dente.
Whilst the pasta cooks, make the dressing by adding the extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, chopped parsley, garlic and Dijon mustard to a small bowl. Mix well then season to taste with salt and pepper.
Drain the Radiatori once cooked then add to a big bowl, tip in the dressing whilst hot and stir together. This now can either be left to go cold and served later or the next day. Or served warm by leaving it for 10-15 minuets to cool down a little.
Make the crispy basil by heating roughly an inch of sunflower or frying oil in a small saucepan. Once very hot and the oil is shimmering, add the basil leaves, gently press down using the back of a big spoon to keep the flat. After roughly 2 minutes they will have darkened in colour. Remove from the pan and place onto some kitchen paper.
Finish the pasta salad by adding the roasted tomatoes to the pasta and stirring together. Pour onto a serving platter then add the mozzarella on top. Finish with the crispy basil sprinkled over the top and a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
