Tomato and pasta salad sprinkled with herbal oil

We had this yesterday at big party in our garden - it was a hit! Sounds like one you may have made before but sometimes its good to refresh your recipes....

Serves 10 in a buffet

500-750 grams of cherry/cocktail tomatoes

500 grams of short pasta (penne ideal)

1 clove of garlic

2 lemons

8-10 sprigs of basil

5-6 sprigs of parsley or chervil

1 ½ - 2 dl of olive oil

5 spring onions

150 grams of baby spinach or lamb’s lettuce

1 ½ dl toasted pine nuts or sunflower seeds

salt and black pepper

Boil the pasta ‘al dente’ and leave to cool.

2. Peel the garlic. Grate the lemon peel. Mix garlic, basil, parsley/chervil, grated lemon peel, the juice from one lemon and the olive oil until it becomes a green, smoothe herbal oil. Season with 1 ½ tsp of salt and 1/3 tsp of black pepper. Mix the herbal oil with the pasta.

3. Slice the tomatoes and the spring onions. Put in a dish pasta, tomatoes, spring onions and toasted pine nuts/sunflower seeds in layers, starting with the spinach/lamb’s lettuce.