Green Goddess Pasta Salad

Green Goddess Pasta Salad

30 min, serves 4, make ahead

Ingredients

Salad
pasta              300g
chicken thighs     500g
smoked streaky     6 rashers
cherry tomatoes    200g
cucumber           1/2
red onion          1/2
sweetcorn          150g

Green dressing
mayonnaise         3 tbsp
yoghurt            2 tbsp
cosmic souvla      4 tbsp
lemon              1/2
salt               to taste

The dressing is just cosmic souvla sauce loosened into something creamy. Aji verde works the same way. Chicken breast or a shop rotisserie chicken is fine instead of thighs.

Recipe

1. Cook the pasta a touch firmer than al dente. Drain, rinse under cold water and toss with a little oil so it doesn’t clump.

2. Fry the bacon until crisp. Lift out, leave to cool, then snap into shards. Season the chicken hard and fry in the bacon fat until golden and cooked through. Rest, then slice or shred. Let it cool to room temperature.

3. Mix the dressing until vivid green and pourable:

[mayonnaise 3 tbsp, yoghurt 2 tbsp, cosmic souvla 4 tbsp, lemon 1/2, salt to taste]

Loosen with a splash of water if it is too thick.

4. Tip the cold pasta into a big bowl and toss through most of the dressing.

5. Fold through, then scatter the last of the bacon and a drizzle of dressing on top:

[chicken, bacon, tomatoes 200g, cucumber 1/2, red onion 1/2, sweetcorn 150g]

Soak the sliced red onion in cold water for 5 minutes first to take the bite off.
Serve with a sharp side salad, leaves and cucumber dressed with just lemon, oil and salt, to cut the creaminess.
Cold food needs more salt and acid than you think. Taste and push the lemon and salt at the end.
Keeps 2 to 3 days in the fridge, airtight. Don’t freeze.