Make Your Own Tuna Pasta Salad

This isn't really a recipe because it's one of those things you can make different every time and probably find several different ways you enjoy it.  I'll tell you what I did for the salad pictured here and then what else I might have done if my pantry had been a little better stocked.

I use tuna packed in oil for this kind of salad and have started using tuna packed in olive oil lately.  I just don't think it would be as good with water-packed tuna and I figure if I was making tuna salad with mayo and using water-packed tuna, it would probably be about the same amount of at calories as using oil-packed for this salad.  So...

I started the salad a couple of hours before dinner so all the flavors could get together.  I used farfalle pasta this time (the "bow" pasta).  I've also used shells.  I also added some minced garlic to the pasta water and don't know if that made any difference or not.   After draining the pasta, I added the remaining oil from the tuna can (I was using the second half of a 3.25 oz. can of tuna) and mixed it in so the pasta wouldn't stick together as it cooled and stuck it in the fridge.  Once it had cooled down, I added the tuna, some capers (which I rinsed first), some cut up roasted yellow pepper I happened to have, and about 7 or 8 grape tomatoes sliced in half.  If I had had some black olives, I would have added those too.   Drizzled in a little of my very special aceto balsamico, added a little salt and pepper and put it back in the fridge.When it came time to eat, I tasted it and decided to sprinkle in some regular vinegar to give it a little more punch.  Also salted it some more.  Then sprinkled a good amount of Feta cheese over it, toasted some good bread to eat with it and bon appetito!  Oh, and I meant to add a bit of thin-sliced shallots and forgot to - probably would have helped with the "punch". :)