The best pasta salad

By vegar

Ingredients

• 310 g small shell-shaped pasta
• 3 cloves garlic
• 255 g yellow cherry tomatoes
• 255 g red cherry tomatoes
• 1 handful black olives, pitted
• 2 tablespoons fresh chives
• 1 handful fresh basil
• 1/2 cucumber
• 4 tablespoons white wine vinegar, or to taste
• 7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Step 1

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Throw in the pasta and cloves of garlic, boil until al dente, drain and run under cold water to cool. Put the garlic to one side to use for the dressing. Put the pasta into a bowl. Chop the tomatoes, olives, chives, basil and cucumber into pieces about half the size of the pasta and add to the bowl. Squash the garlic cloves out of their skins and mush in a pestle and mortar. Add the vinegar, oil and seasoning. Drizzle this over the salad, adding a little more seasoning to taste.