This is a quick and easy salad with the wow factor. It’s a great choice for when you have guests, and goes really well with a Barbeque. I made it one night when I had several vegetarian guests over for tea. I wanted to make something a bit more interesting for them. Everyone really loved it and went back for seconds. That doesn’t usually happen with a salad, so I was very happy about that.
Shortcuts for your salad
You can go the extra mile or take short-cuts, it still tastes great. For example, cook the corn cobs and slice the corn off for a really juicy, extra flavored corn. Or if you are in a rush, go for the tinned corn, no-one will care.
If you have an adult group who can deal with the olive pips, just throw them in whole. It will save you a bit of time.
Ingredients
- 500g small pasta shells
- 1 small red onion
- 1 small green capsicum
- 1 small red capsicum
- 3 fresh corn cobs or 1 tin of corn
- 10 Sicilian green olives
- a handful of mint and basil leaves
- 1 packet of baby spinach leaves
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon (juice)
- Maldon Sea Salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
Cook the pasta according to packet directions. Note that if you are cooking the corn cobs, put these in your boiling pasta water for 8 minutes first.
Remove corn cobs, then add pasta to the boiling water and cook as usual.
While your pasta is cooking, finely chop the red onion and capsicums. Add to a large mixing bowl.
Rinse the corn cobs under cold water to cool, then slice the corn off each cob, break apart and add to the bowl. Or add your tin of corn.
Slice the olives to remove each pip. You want little chunks of olives all through the salad.
Chop the mint and basil very finely and add to the salad.
Drain pasta, rinse under cold water until the heat has left it and add to the salad.
Add the bag of baby spinach leaves and combine all ingredients together.
In a separate little bowl, mix your olive oil, juice of the lemon, salt and pepper. When well mixed add your dressing to the salad.
Notes
Black olives or kalamata olives can be substituted, however the Sicilian olives have a lovely citrusy tang so they go well with the lemon.
