This was a quick dish I threw together cos I didn’t want to spend too much time prepping and cooking. I got the peeled shrimps from the supermarket. Fresh but packaged. Normally I’d go for the larger fresh (still swimming) prawns, cook a large batch and freeze them.

I sautéed the shrimps and set them aside. While the pasta was cooking I chopped up a couple of ripe tomatoes and reduced them till they were soft and just like a sauce.

When the pasta was ready, I tossed everything together.

Simple and quick. Not a jar of sauce in sight.

I had a whole mozzarella ball in my fridge so I thought I’d try this Jamie recipe for a simple baked pasta dish. I made the sauce yesterday and the rest of the dish today.

for the sauce
sweat 3 cloves of garlic and half an onion until soft
add a can of chopped tomatoes and a can of water
add seasoning — the recipe calls for chili which I usually don’t have, nor do i use often; but I did add a dash of tabasco, some worcestershire sauce and Italian seasoning
simmer until the sauce thickens
blitz slightly, just enough to break the tomato pieces but not so that the sauce ends up being a paste

for the dish
cook pasta according to package instructions
drain and toss with half the sauce
arrange half the pasta at the bottom of an oven dish
spread over half the remaining sauce
slice up the mozzarella and arrange over the sauce
add the rest of the pasta, the rest of the sauce and the last pieces of cheese
bake at 200°C for 20mins

There’s supposed to be liberal amounts of parmesan sprinkled in with the mozzarella but I, um, don’t like parmesan. Yes, really.

Squid, cleaned and cut to pieces
long beans, diced
1 can chopped tomatoes
Squid ink pasta

Heat olive oil in large pan, add chopped garlic then calamari pieces. Splash in some wine or dry sherry. Set aside when cooked.
In the same pan, add diced beans to cooking liquid. Allow to cook for a few minutes until done.
Add canned tomatoes, turn down the heat and reduce. Season with salt, pepper, herbs (I used Italian seasoning) and a dash of tabasco.
Return calamari to sauce and mix.
Add to pasta and toss.

rocket, tomato, red pepper, olives, avocado, warmed mushroom (button and dried) topped with 2 steamed prawns.

Roast sliced pumpkin or butternut squash until caramalised. Cook pasta (penne or similar) Toss pumpkin in pasta with cherry tomatoes, goat’s cheese and pine nuts.