Cold Summer Pasta
By Vanessa Hegarty 　

Vanessa is a first year CIR working in the International Affairs Division at the Prefectural Government in Matsue. She studied Japanese and Asian Studies in her home town of Canberra, Australia. Her interests are travel, cooking and spending summer on the beach.

Vanessa Hegarty

This is a simple pasta I often make for lunch on a hot summer's day in Australia. The ingredients may be a little hard to get in Japan but you may be able to find ricotta and parmesan cheese in a good quality supermarket near you. Or, ricotta can be bought through the Foreign Buyers Club for about \600 for 250 grams. Ricotta is a soft, white and crumbly cheese made from sheep's milk whey. It is unsalted and relatively low in fat. It can also be used in salads and as a filling for ravioli.

Ingredients
Serves 2 for lunch or 4 as a starter dish

250 grams ricotta cheese
3-4 ripe, sweet tomatoes − diced
2-3 rashers of bacon for a smoky, salty flavour (not essential) − diced
2 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese (grate from a block of parmesan, don't use packet cheese)
a handful of fresh basil − roughly chopped
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
any type of pasta − spaghetti, farfalle, penne

In a medium sized bowl mix the ricotta, parmesan, tomatoes, basil and cooked bacon with a dash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and put in the fridge. Cook the pasta in salted water or with olive oil until al dente. Drain pasta, add it to the ricotta mixture and stir. Add basil leaves and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and place on the table for people to help themselves. Enjoy.