Tuna Pasta Salad with Lemon, Green Olives, and Cucumbers

Ingredients

• 2 cups Dreamfields or whole grain pasta, cooked in boiling salted water and drained well
• 5-6 oz. good quality tuna packed in olive oil, drained
• 8 large Spanish green olives, cut into half moon slices
• 2 small Persian cucumbers, cut into very small dice
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• lemon zest and lemon juice from one large lemon
• 1/2 tsp. olive brine
• 3 T mayo
• 1 T olive oil

Directions

1. Fill a large pot with water, add a couple teaspoons of salt, and bring it to a boil. Once the water is bubbling, add the pasta, give it a stir, and let the water return to a boil. Turn the heat down a bit and cook the pasta for exactly 9 minutes, so yes, set a timer. Drain it well and leave it to cool without rinsing.
2. While the pasta is cooking, put the tuna in a fine strainer so the olive oil can drain away. Cut the olives into half-moons and chop the cucumbers into very small pieces. If you are not using small Persian cucumbers, scrape out the seeds first so the salad does not get watery. Remove the lemon zest, then squeeze the lemon.
3. If you want to ease into the lemon flavor, start with 2 T lemon juice and 2 tsp. lemon zest. Add the mayo and olive brine, then whisk in the olive oil. Taste it and decide whether you want the remaining lemon juice and zest in the dressing.
4. Once the pasta is cool, put the tuna, olives, and cucumbers in a bowl with plenty of room for the whole salad, then fold in about half the dressing. Add the pasta gently, then stir in more dressing until the salad is as dressed as you like it. Use all the dressing if you prefer a looser pasta salad.
5. Season the salad with salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste, then serve.