My friends hate pasta salad. Alice, Manchester“I hate pasta salad, too,” says Stevie Parle, the chef and restaurateur behind London pasta joint Pastaio. “I think there’s some post-traumatic stress surrounding the dish, which you should respect.” Ruth Rogers, chef-owner of the River Cafe, goes even further: “I’d rather starve than eat pasta salad,” she declares. “It’s like a tomato salad mixed with pasta.” Guardian columnist Rachel Roddy, whose latest cookbook, An A-Z of Pasta: Stories, Shapes, Sauces, Recipes, is out next month, also subscribes to this mantra: “Thinking of pasta salad as pasta with condiments dressed as a salad makes it much more friendly.” Conchiglie with tuna, white beans, chopped onions and cherry tomatoes tops her list, closely followed by pesto, green beans and potatoes. Pasta salad is also a big hit round Francesco Mazzei’s.

Source: The Guardian June 15, 2021 12:56 UTC