Tagliarini with Peas and Leek

Ingredients

• 30ml/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 medium leek, sliced
• 70ml/5 tablespoons water
• 30g/1oz butter
• 250g/9oz frozen peas
• ½ bunch of mint (about 15g/½oz), leaves picked and roughly torn
• ½ bunch of basil (about 15g/½oz), leaves picked and torn
• zest of 1 lemon; juice of ½
• grated pecorino or Parmesan

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over a medium heat and fry the garlic for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the leek and water, cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5 minutes. Add the butter and the peas, stir together and replace the lid. Take the pan off the heat and leave to one side while you cook the pasta.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil before adding salt, then cook the tagliarini for 1½–2 minutes. Alternatively, if using dried pasta, follow the packet instructions.

Return the saucepan to a medium heat. Use tongs to transfer the pasta to the sauce and swirl it all together or mix with the tongs. Scatter over the herbs, lemon zest and juice and toss together, then season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Serve with a generous grating of pecorino or Parmesan.

Orzo Salad with Cannellini Beans and Cavolo Nero

Ingredients

• 280g/10oz orzo or other short, dried pasta
• 200g/7oz cavolo nero
• 30ml/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium leek, quartered lengthways and sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 8 anchovy fillets
• 2 tablespoons capers
• ½ teaspoon chilli (hot pepper) flakes
• 500g/1lb 2oz jar of cannellini beans, drained
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 bunch of parsley (about 25g/1oz), finely chopped

Instructions

First, prepare the cavolo nero by stripping away the stalks, which you can then discard. Chop the leaves as you like – I prefer to cut them up quite finely – then set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the leek and garlic and fry on a medium heat for 5 minutes until the vegetables soften. Mix in the anchovies, capers and chilli flakes and cook until the anchovies fully dissolve in the oil. The kitchen will be filled with the beautiful rich fragrance of the fish.

Add the cavolo nero leaves, stir everything together and cook for a further 4–5 minutes until the leaves have softened. Remove from the heat, add the cannellini beans, lemon zest and juice, and toss together well. Transfer to a large serving bowl and set to one side.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil before adding salt, then cook the orzo until al dente, following the cooking time suggested on the packet.

Drain the pasta, add it to the bean mixture and scatter over the parsley. Mix together, then season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Fettucine with Courgette, Spinach and Tofu Sauce

Ingredients

• 360g/13oz dried fettucine
• 75ml/5 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced into crescent moons
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 small courgettes (zucchini) (around 300g/10½oz), roughly chopped
• pinch of salt
• 150g/5½oz spinach
• 200g/7oz silken tofu
• 1 red chilli, finely diced
• juice of ½ lemon
• ½ bunch of basil (about 15g/½oz), leaves only
• Nutritional Yeast or Pangrattato to serve

Instructions

Heat 45ml/3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion and garlic for 5 minutes until softened but not browned. Add the courgettes along with a pinch of salt and cook for a further 5–7 minutes until the vegetables are nice and soft. Turn the heat off, add the spinach and cover the pan with a lid. After 5 minutes or so the spinach will have wilted, so take off the lid and allow to cool a little.

Add the cooked vegetables to a blender or food processor along with the silken tofu and blend to a nice, smooth sauce. Set to one side.

Set the same saucepan over a medium heat (there’s no need to wash it), add the remaining 30ml/2 tablespoons of olive oil and fry the chilli for 40 seconds before reducing the heat to medium-low and adding the sauce from the blender. Mix well and keep on a low heat while you cook the pasta.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil before adding salt, then cook the fettucine for 1½–2 minutes. Alternatively, if using dried pasta, follow the packet instructions.

Drain the fettucine, reserving a jugful of the cooking water, and add the pasta to the sauce. Swirl together, adding the lemon juice and basil leaves and seasoning to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve with a generous topping of Nutritional Yeast or Pangrattato.