Pasta Salad alla Caprese

This is a lovely fresh tasting pasta dish for a hot evening, easy to prepare and you use the heat only to boil the pasta. The idea is taken from the classic Italian dish Insalata Caprese, I tossed in the pasta to make more substantial for a first course. Not only it tastes great, its red, white and green colour looks so typically Italian as well!! As with any simple recipes , the quality of each ingredients is the key. Make sure to use a good quality olive oil and fresh mozzarella, and the perfect tomatoes plump, red and firm, and oh, a fresh batch of basil leaves. This is a perfect example why it is so handy to grow a small shrub of basil at home during the warm months, even if you don't have a garden it grows very well on your balcony or window sill!!

Ingredients for about 2-3 people

200g dry pasta (short versions, like fusilli, orecchiette, farfalle etc.)
3-4 tomatoes
250g mozzarella, preferably of buffalo milk (di bufala)
generous handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped
Extra Virgine Olive Oil
salt, pepper

Cook the pasta as indicated on the package, drain and rinse under the cold water. Drain
Eliminate the stem and core from the tomatoes, then roughly chop them
Chop the mozzarella into bite sizes. (Or you can use the "bocconcini" version, which come in small balls)
Toss the pasta, tomatoes, mozzarella, add salt and pepper to your liking, sprinkle with the basil leaves then drizzle the olive oil.
Preferably let the salad rest for at least half an hour, as the flavours blend together better while resting.