Greek-Style Pasta with Feta and Olives

Sauce

The perfect Greek-style pasta is made with fresh vegetables, which is easy to arrange in season. Take very ripe red tomatoes, or a jar of canned pulp in winter. Fresh basil is available year-round. Any olives will do, and I prefer black ones. Greek feta should be soft, yet still grate well.

1. Prepare the tomatoes and basil. Scald the tomatoes with boiling water, rinse with cold water, peel off the skin and remove the seeds. Finely chop the flesh with a knife. Pick the leaves off the basil stems and chop them with a knife too, leaving a few leaves for serving.

2. Flavor the olive oil: in a pan over medium heat, fry flattened garlic cloves and coarsely cut chili until the garlic starts to turn golden. The garlic and pepper can stay in the dish, making it a little spicy and hot. If you do not want that, take them out of the oil after frying and discard them.

   

3. Simmer the sauce. Add the prepared tomato pulp to the hot oil, then add the basil. Season the sauce with a little salt and a little ground black pepper. Simmer over medium heat until it is quite thick. Greek-style pasta should not look like a stew.

   

Pasta

4. Cook the pasta. Meanwhile, put a pot with 2 l of water on high heat, add 10 g of salt (5 g per 1 l of water, since the sauce with feta and olives is salty) and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the boiling water. I use penne, but almost any short pasta will do. It is important that its surface has a textured shape that holds the sauce well. Cook the pasta for the time given on the package, which gives you al dente. Drain the cooked pasta in a colander.

5. Combine the pasta with the sauce. Transfer the pasta to the pan with the tomato sauce, add the olives and capers (optional). Stir gently and warm through over low heat for 2-3 mins. If you like, add more black pepper, which can only improve the flavor. Do not add more salt, since feta is usually salty enough.

   

Serving

6. Divide the pasta with sauce between plates and top with feta cut into large cubes. Alternatively, grate a little of the cheese on a coarse grater. I have even seen quite a generous amount of cheese used. The pasta is served under a white “cap”, if you like. Also add a few torn basil leaves.

   

   Serve the pasta hot right away. If you plan to serve it chilled, do not add the cheese and fresh basil as in the hot version. Do that later, just before serving. Chilled pasta keeps in the fridge for a day or two. By the way, feta does not melt when heated.