Ricotta and tomato spaghetti

This made a ridiculously quick tea after a traipse about Hadrian's Wall in the mist and murk.

You'll need:

enough spaghetti for three
half a pot of ricotta cheese (about 125g)
a couple of large, ripe tomatoes
a large onion, finely sliced
two cloves of garlic, finely chopped (I used a bulb of wet garlic, which gave the same effect)
a couple of tablespoons of good olive oil
a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
lots of black pepper
some dried chilli flakes

Tip the spaghetti into a large pan of boiling water, bring to the boil and simmer until it's al dente.

In the meantime, fry the onion and garlic in half the olive oil until they turn translucent. Finely chop the tomatoes (you could deseed them, but I can't be bothered with faffing about).

Drain the spaghetti, and toss with the onions/garlic/tomatoes. Divide into bowlfuls, and dollop some spoonfuls of ricotta onto each portion. Drizzle over some balsamic vinegar, and a little extra olive oil. Season with lots of black pepper, and a sprinkling of chilli flakes.

You and your dad insisted on a scattering of capers on your plates too.