Smoked Artichoke Greek Pasta Salad

 The pasta salad that finally lives up to the name.

There is a version of Greek pasta salad that exists at every summer gathering — limp pasta, jarred olives, an aggressive amount of dried oregano, and a dressing that tastes exclusively of red wine vinegar. This is not that version. This is the one you make when you actually want people to ask for the recipe.

Cold penne tossed with cherry tomatoes, Kalamata olives, red onion, fresh herbs, and a generous pour of good olive oil — and then, the thing that makes it worth talking about: our Smoked Artichoke Hearts folded through at the end. The smoke adds a quiet depth that you can't quite place but can't stop eating around. The artichokes themselves, tender and slightly yielding, catch the dressing in their layers and carry it into every bite. Crumbled feta over the top, another thread of olive oil, and the whole bowl becomes something that tastes far more considered than the effort involved.

This is the recipe we reach for when we need to feed people well without standing over a stove. It makes itself in the time it takes the pasta to cook and cool, travels beautifully to wherever summer takes you, and tastes better the longer it sits — which, if you can manage the restraint, means it is genuinely worth making the night before.

Serves 6 as a side, 4 as a main · ~30 minutes plus cooling · No cooking after the pasta

INGREDIENTS

— 400 g penne or rigatoni

— 1 jar Fume-eh Smoked Artichoke Hearts, drained, halved or quartered if large

— 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

— ½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted

— ½ small red onion, thinly sliced

— 150 g good quality feta, crumbled generously

— ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing

— 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

— 1 teaspoon dried oregano

— 1 clove garlic, finely grated

— Fresh flat-leaf parsley, a generous handful, roughly chopped

— Fresh basil, a handful, torn

— Flaky sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

— Pinch of chili flakes, optional

METHOD

1. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook the penne to al dente according to package directions — resist the urge to cook it further, as it will continue to soften slightly as it cools and absorbs the dressing. Before draining, reserve ¼ cup of the starchy cooking water and set aside.
2. Drain the pasta and spread it in a single layer on a baking sheet or wide shallow bowl. Drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil and toss to coat — this prevents the pasta from sticking together as it cools and adds a layer of flavour before the dressing even goes on. Let it cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Do not rinse it under cold water; rinsing strips the surface starch that helps the dressing cling.
3. While the pasta cools, make the dressing. Whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, grated garlic, dried oregano, a generous pinch of flaky salt, and several cracks of black pepper. Taste it — it should be sharp and bold, slightly more aggressive than feels right, because the pasta will absorb and temper it considerably. Add a tablespoon of the reserved pasta water and whisk again; it will emulsify the dressing into something slightly creamier and help it coat the pasta evenly.
4. Place the cooled pasta in a large wide bowl. Pour the dressing over and toss well, making sure every piece is coated. Add the cherry tomatoes, Kalamata olives, and red onion and fold through gently. Add the Smoked Artichoke Hearts last, folding them in carefully so they stay intact rather than breaking apart into the salad.
5. Add most of the parsley and basil and fold through. Taste and adjust — more salt, more vinegar, more olive oil as needed. The salad should taste bright and savoury with the smoke coming through as a quiet bass note underneath everything else.
6. Transfer to a serving bowl or platter. Crumble the feta generously over the top — do not fold it in, it belongs on the surface where it can be seen and where it will stay in distinct, creamy pieces rather than dissolving into the salad. Finish with a thread of good olive oil, the remaining fresh herbs, a pinch of chili flakes if using, and a final crack of black pepper.
7. Serve immediately at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to 24 hours and bring back to room temperature for 20 minutes before serving. The flavours deepen considerably overnight — if you can make it the evening before, do.

A note on the artichokes Fold them in last and handle them gently. They are the quiet hero of this dish and they deserve to be seen in the bowl — tender, smoky, slightly golden at the edges. If they disappear into the pasta they still flavour everything beautifully, but the visual reward of a whole artichoke heart catching the light under a drizzle of olive oil is worth the extra care.

Wine pairing

A cold Greek pasta salad eaten in summer asks for something equally cold, equally bright, and with enough character to hold its own against Kalamata olives and smoked artichoke. An Assyrtiko from Santorini is the considered answer — volcanic, mineral, searingly dry, with a salinity that meets the olives on their own terms and an acidity that cuts right through the feta. A Malagousia from northern Greece will bring more aromatic complexity if you want something a little more perfumed. Closer to home, a BC Pinot Gris from a cooler Okanagan site — dry, with some texture — is a lovely local pairing that echoes the herbaceous quality of the fresh parsley without competing with it. If the afternoon calls for something sparkling, a bone-dry Crémant or a traditional method BC sparkling wine keeps everything tasting bright and clean from the first bite to the last.