I remember being in my early 20’s. South Africa had just started opening Woolworth’s outlets at petrol stations, open 24 hours a day and they sold an amazing greek pasta salad. This dish is not only delicious but it holds a lot of memories for myself and my hubby. Being able to get an amazing meal like this at 2 am in the morning after a long night out was like heaven.
Pasta
Ingredients
1.5 cups flour
2 eggs
extra flour for working the dough
Method
Make a well in the middle of the flour and crack in the eggs. Start beating the eggs with a fork and slowly start working in the flour until the dough starts to form. On a well floured surface start working the dough until it feels elastic and not dry. I add a little water if the dough seems a bit dry. Once the dough is done wrap it in plastic and allow to rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour at room temperature. As I live in Singapore where room temperature is 28 degrees Celcius I alternate between outside and in the fridge every 20 minutes with the latter being outside of the fridge.
After the hour of resting is done get a big pot of salted water to boil while you start rolling out your pasta. First roll the dough out with a rolling pin on a floured surface until it is able to roll through your pasta roller. I start at setting 6 on my titania roller and end at setting 2 for this particular pasta.
Next, cut the pasta dough into small squares and one by one using the thick side of a chop stick and roll each square sealing it with a little bit of egg at the end to make it stick. This process takes quite a bit if time, so if you don’t have time use a store bought penne pasta.
Cook in the boiling water for about 3 minutes and strain. Allow to cool
Other Ingredients
1/2 cup chopped cucumber
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup greek feta cheese
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/5 cup olives, pitted and chopped
Dressing
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
Beat the vinegar and olive oil together.
Add all the above ingredients to the pasta and enjoy.
Cooking with Lindi 