Pesto Pasta Salad

Ingredients

• 4 cups fusili pasta uncooked for wheat-free version (use rice pasta )
• 1 cup basil pesto fresh
• 2 tablespoons olive tapenade green chopped
• 0.3 cup pinenuts 
• 1 cup peas fresh frozen canned (or if you can get them)
• 12 ounces cherry tomatoes halved
• 6 servings several basil leaves fresh coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin 
• 6 servings salt and pepper 

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan

Directions

1. Cook the pasta: Cook pasta according to instructions on the package. Make sure the water is salted (one and a half teaspoons per quart).
2. Remove pasta from heat and strain when pasta is cooked, but still firm (al dente).
3. Toast pine nuts: While the pasta is cooking, toast the pine nuts in a small pan over medium-high heat. Keep an eye on them because pine nuts can go from lovely and toasty to acrid and burnt in seconds.
4. When most of the nuts have a blush of golden brown on them, move them to a cool bowl to rest. They will burn if you leave them in the pan.
5. Mix pasta with pesto, pine nuts, olives, tomatoes, basil, olive oil: Put pasta in a big bowl.
6. Mix in fresh basil pesto, green olives, and pine nuts. Gently mix in cherry tomatoes, peas, fresh basil leaves and olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve at room temperature.