Warm weather means salads, and this is a delicious pasta salad from a now-defunct restaurant that was in Perth, Ontario, called The Hungry Planet. This recipe is from a June 20, 2007 Ottawa Citizen article about the restaurant that included some of its popular recipes. I like it because it is easy to make, substantial, and filled with lots of my favourite ingredients, including shrimp, olives, feta and basil.

Saute shrimp or grill on the barbecue

Assemble all the ingredients in a large bowl

Add pasta, dressing and serve

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, use olives with no preservatives added. I used Pilaros brand green olives stuffed with garlic, which are available at Costco. Check the label on the feta cheese and shrimp to make sure they are all-natural. Balsamic vinegar usually has sulfites added; try to find one that has only naturally occurring sulfites.

Ingredients:

2 to 3 large, ripe juicy tomatoes

½ medium red onion, thinly sliced

1 cup pitted green olives, coarsely chopped

2 tsp minced garlic

1½ cups crumbled feta cheese

1 lb. cooked and cooled shrimp

4 tbsp chopped Italian parsley

4 tbsp shredded fresh basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1 lb. short pasts (such as penne), cooked, drained, but still warm

½ cup fruity extra-virgin olive oil

4 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Dried chili pepper flakes

Preparation:

In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, olives, garlic, feta, shrimp, parsley, basil and oregano. Toss with warm pasta and fess with the oil and vinegar, to taste. Add chili flakes, if desired. Add salt if needed. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

From the June 20, 2007 Ottawa Citizen