Bi-Colored Basil & Pasta Salad

I planted several varieties of basil from seed this year:

Aton, Sweet, Rosie and Lime.

As they grew, I pinched the buds from each plant when the flower threatened to appeared, and clipped stems to place in a jar of water on my kitchen window. This way I can smell the basil as I cook, and pick leaves as I need them. It also encourages my outdoor plants to branch out and sprout new growth.

So far I have tried the Sweet and the Aton basil, green varieties with great flavor. I didn’t believe that there was a cultivar that could be better tasting than my all-time favorite Italian Sweet, the traditional large-leafed, mild-flavored variety, until I tried Aton.

Aton’s leaves are greener, wider and more aromatic than Sweet. It’s delicious. I love mixing both green varieties for a zippy pesto.

Last night, though, was the first night I cooked with Rosie, a gorgeous, deep purple variety with leaves edged in a thin lime green.

After a busy day I had little time for planning a meal, so I decided to toss up a simple pasta salad that maybe you’ve made when you need something last minute:

Pasta, tomato, basil and feta cheese.

Sweetie Heirloom

First I harvested the small amount of ripened heirloom tomatoes I had in my yard. I pulled about three Jaune Flames, a few Sweetie Cherries, and one or two from the only hybrid I grew: Sun Gold.

[An Aside: I learned something this year about planting in a new location. Digging a hole and adding compost isn’t enough. My Sun Gold is suffering in its small, tight spot. I think it may be root bound: the straggly stems have produced only a few golden cherries. I needed to give the plant more stretching room by digging a much larger area.]

Either way, I harvested enough tomatoes to make this simple meal. You don’t need a lot. The basil and the feta cheese add a ton of flavor.

Jaune Flamme

In addition to my green basil varieties that I seem to use daily, I tossed in Rosie to make this a bi-colored basil dish.

Turns out, Rosie is more pungent than any basil I’ve grown in the past, even more so than Aton. The combination of basil in this warm salad made this version the best I’ve made so far.

Honestly, in the height of summer when I am short on time and creativity and tomatoes are peaking, basil’s in its prime, I whip up this light fare about once a week.

And I never tire of it.

If you come home at the end of the day hot and worn out, I’d recommend this quick meal. If you happen to grow or purchase red-leafed basil, you’ll be surprised at how adding it to just a few ingredients can produce such delicious flavor.

Enjoy!

Bi-colored basil and pasta salad

Serves 4 (Or 2, and makes great leftovers)

Box of pasta (bow ties, penne or rotelle)

Block of feta cheese

Four large tomatoes or a handful of cherries

¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

A cup fresh basil (or more, what the heck)

Optional: ½ cup sliced Calamata olives

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain and place about ¾ of the cooked pasta back in the pot. Save the rest for another day.

Add chopped tomatoes, basil and chunks of feta (use the whole block. If you buy a large, 16-oz block, use ¾ of it).

Drizzle olive oil, add cracked pepper and lightly salt the ingredients (the feta is pretty salty).

Place pot on stovetop and turn heat to medium. Stir constantly, about 4 minutes, until pasta is warm and cheese is slightly melted.