Pasta

Orecchiette Con Broccoli

Fry garlic – thin slivers until pale gold.  Cook broccoli – reserve liquid.  Cook pasta – orecchiette is best.

Crust anchovies into garlic and add olive oil & dried red chilli.  Pour over the pasta.

Mum note:  Wonderful and so packed with flavour.

Pasta Bake

Fry onion, bacon, courgette cook penne or shell pasta at same time 10 mins only so al dente.  Drain pasta, add a jar of  tomato sauce to veg & bacon.  Heat through, place in a casserole.  Cut up some mozzarella cheese.  Stir some into pasta mix.  Place more mozzarella on top and grate a little parmesan on top.  Bake at 160-180 for 20-25 mins.  Serve with green salad.

A delicious Sauce for pasta

Or for potatoes, or as a bagna couda (cold bath) dip.

• Halved tomatoes

• Rosemary

• Whole, unpeeled garlic cloves

• Olive oil

• Basil

• Black pepper

Put in a very hot oven for 20 minutes or so to char the edges.  May need longer.

Process whole lot, throw in large handful of basil.  Sieve the sauce.  Voila!

Springtime Pasta

597cals per serving; serves 4

• 125g (4oz) French beans

• 400g (14oz) conchiglie pasta

• 2tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

• 80g (3 oz) unsalted butter, split in half

• 1tsp vegetable bouillon powder

• 4 trimmed, sliced asparagus spears

• 125g (4oz) courgettes

• 100g (3½ oz) thawed, frozen petits pois

• Salt and pepper

• 2 level tbsp chopped flat-leafed parsley

• A little freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Method:

1. Trim and cut 125g (4oz) French beans into 1cm (hin) lengths. Blanch in boiling water for 2min, drain, plunge into cold water, drain again and pat dry with kitchen paper.

2. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil (you'll need at least 3 litres, 5¼  pints), adding 1 level tbsp of salt before you slide in 400g (14oz) conchiglie pasta. Bring back to the boil and cook for about 10-12min until al dente - with a slight 'bite' to it.

3. Heat 2tbsp extra-virgin olive oil and 40g (1½ oz) unsalted butter in a large frying pan. When butter has just melted add the sliced white part of six spring onions and season with a pinch or two of salt. Mix in 1 level tsp Marigold vegetable bouillon powder (or any other brand) and 6tbsp boiling water and cook for 2min. Add four trimmed, sliced asparagus spears, 125g (40z) courgettes, halved and thinly sliced, 100g (3½ oz) thawed, frozen petits pois, and continue cooking for 2-3min, adding another couple of tablespoons of hot water. At the end there should be just a little liquid in the bottom of the pan. Drain the pasta, but don't over drain, then tip it into the frying pan with 40g (1½oz) unsalted butter and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir-fry for 1-2min, then add 2 level tbsp chopped flat-leafed parsley. Sprinkle with a little freshly grated Parmesan and serve at once, handing round a separate bowl of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Pasta Puttanesca

• 10ozs or 275 g spaghetti

• Olive oil

• Salt

Sauce:

• 2 cloves garlic chopped

• 50g anchovies

• 175g olives (black)

• 1 flesh red chilli de-seeded & chopped

• 1tbsp capers

• 1lb tomatoes – skinned & chopped

• 1tbs tom puree

• Dessert spoon basil chopped

• Olive oil

• black pepper

Heat oil, add garlic, chili, basil, cook briefly.  Garlic should be pale gold, toss in other ingredients. No salt anchovies enough.  Summer 40 mins until sauce thickens.

Cook pasta, drain, toss in sauce with the basil, sprinkle with parmesan.

Mum note: Puttanesca, roughly translated as ladies of the night!!

Tubetti con patate

Feeds 4. Takes 45 min.

A gentle- pasta sauce for those nights you can't decide between pasta and pota-toes.

• 3 medium all-purpose potatoes

• 1tbsp olive oil

• 1tbsp butter

• 1 onion, peeled

• 2 thick slices prosciutto or pancetta

• 1 celery stalk

• 1 carrot, peeled

• 1 fresh tomato

• 10 sprigs fresh marjoram

• Sea salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1 cup heated chicken stock or water

• 400g tubetti or any short tubular pasta

• 1tbsp freshly grated parmesan

Finely dice the onion. Heat olive oil and butter in a heavy-bottomed pan, add the onion and cook gently for ten minutes until it starts to soften. Peel, slice and finely dice the potatoes and cook in a pot of simmering, salted water for ten minutes. Drain and keep warm.

Finely dice the prosciutto, celery and carrot, add to the onions, and cook for five minutes. Add the drained potatoes with the tomato, marjoram, sea salt and pepper, and toss well, then let it settle down to cook. Add a ladleful of stock or water to prevent the potatoes from sticking.  A creamy sort of sauce will emerge after about ten minutes.

Cook pasta until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite. Drain well and add pasta to the sauce, tossing over high heat for 30 seconds. Scatter with parmesan and serve.