Don’t dismiss this because of the word ‘anchovies’…this is one of the most delicious and simplest pasta salads, ever.

I’ve been making it for well over 20 years and as I’ve frequently mentioned when anchovies show up in a recipe, even anchovy haters have eaten it and proclaimed it to be wonderful.

It’s also very simple to make, especially if you use store-bought mayonnaise. All I would say is that if you don’t make your own mayo, buy the best quality possible, preferably made with olive oil.

This is one of those pasta salads that tastes even better the next day; just cover and chill in the fridge.

Pasta Salad with Anchovies, Parsley & Black Olives

PASTA SALAD with ANCHOVIES, PARSLEY & BLACK OLIVES

(Serves 4-6)

Ingredients:

12 oz (350g) of your favorite short pasta shapes

2 tablespoons of extra-v olive oil

5 heaped tablespoons of good mayonnaise

1 fat clove of garlic, crushed

A few tablespoons of chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley

1/2 cup (120ml measure) of pitted Nicoise or Kalamata olives

A small can of anchovy fillets (1.75 oz / 47g), partly drained of oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Two or 3 hard boiled eggs

Action:

Start by cooking the pasta according to instructions until it’s ‘al dente’ then drain, rinse under cold running water and drain again. While the pasta is cooking, hard-boil the eggs and drop them into cold water to cool.

Meanwhile, mash together the anchovies with the garlic and mayonnaise until they’re thoroughly combined.

Stir 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the pasta until every piece is well coated, followed by the chopped parsley, black olives, the anchovy mayonnaise and a good grind of black pepper.

Give it all a good stir, cover with cling film and let it rest at room temp for about 30 minutes before decorating with sliced hard boiled eggs to serve – or cover and chill in the fridge for an hour and up to 24 hrs.