pasta crudaiola

There are few dishes that capture the Italian summer as well as a Pasta Crudaiola. In Italy, this is the ultimate beach food; an uncomplicated but flavourful pasta salad where the sauce isn't cooked, but left to marinate in sun-ripened tomatoes, olive oil and fresh herbs. It's the dish you prepare in advance, pack into a cool bag and enjoy just as the salt of the sea makes itself known.

Our Fusilli Red Lentils are made for just this. It's a classic Crudaiola, but we add our own little boost: a handful of nutritional yeast for that proper umami, and a dash of apple cider vinegar for extra tang. It's a simple nutrition hack that lifts the flavours and gives a fullness that lasts all day on the beach, without you feeling heavy in the heat.

ingredients

• 160 g da Carla Fusilli Röda Linser
• 250 g cocktail tomatoes (preferably different colours)
• 1 small red onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 dl black olives (roughly chopped)
• 1 pot fresh basil
• A handful of fresh parsley (roughly chopped)
• 4 msk extra virgin olive oil
• 4 msk da Carla nutritional yeast
• 2 sk da Carla apple cider vinegarRoasted pine nuts
• Sea salt flakes & freshly ground black pepper

How to make it

• Halve the cocktail tomatoes and place in a roomy bowl. Finely slice the red onion and grate the garlic. Mix in the olive oil, nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, olives and sea salt flakes. Leave to sit for at least 15 minutes – the longer it sits, the more flavour the tomatoes will absorb.
• Cook the lentil fusilli in salted water according to the instructions. Drain when al dente (it should have a clear bite, as it will soften slightly from the tomato juices afterwards).
• Fold the warm pasta into the bowl with the tomatoes. Stir well so that every pasta spiral is coated in the emulsion.
• Fold in the roasted pine nuts, roughly torn basil and chopped parsley just before serving (or before you pack the dish for your outing).
• Enjoy right away or leave to sit in a cool place until it's time for your beach lunch. Tip: Top with mozzarella, or if you want a heartier lunch you can stir in marinated chickpeas or cannellini beans – they soak up the tomato juices and become little flavour bombs. For a lighter version, hand-picked shrimp work perfectly, while diced smoked tofu adds great depth.