Spaghetti with tuna, spinach and lemon

Actually, this may not have been spinach - it might have been chard. It's grown some rather enormous leaves on the allotment, anyway, which the snails have started to take a liking to. So we thought we should get in first.

You'll need:

enough spaghetti for three (a small handful per person - spaghetti always miraculously expands when cooked)
1 large onion, finely sliced
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
unidentified green leaves - preferably spinach/chard or that sort of thing, sliced into strips
1 tin of tuna
lemon zest (about half a lemon will do)
lots of black pepper

Stick the spaghetti into a large pan of boiling water - it'll need 7-8 minutes until it's al dente.

In the meantime, fry the onion and garlic in a good slug of olive oil, until they've softened. Add the greens, and fry for a couple of minutes until they've wilted. Stir in the tuna, and leave to warm through.

Drain the spaghetti, and tip into the greens/tuna pan. Stir everything thoroughly, so the spaghetti becomes covered with the tuna and onions. Season well with lots of black pepper, and some grated lemon zest.

Divide up into bowls, and top with a little extra drizzle of olive oil, and maybe some parmesan cheese.

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.

Spicy crab linguine

Not surprisingly, this was rather bland with tinned crab, and needed pepping up with lots of chilli and strong cheese grated on top. Definitely one to make with the real stuff (the cat, however, was less discerning).

Makes enough for 2. You'll need:

crab meat (a little will go a long way here - and you could get away with white or brown meat)
2 red chillies
1 clove garlic
a small bag or bunch of rocket (if you don't have any, courgette (finely diced and fried gently in a little olive oil) is a great substitute
zest and juice of a lemon
a tablespoon of good olive oil
lots of black pepper
your linguine/spaghetti of choice

Decant your crab meat into a bowl. Stick the chillies and garlic in a pestle and mortar, and pound away until they're nicely pulverised. Add the olive oil and mix well until it turns to a lovely slush. Add the zest and juice of a lemon, and mix everything with the crab meat.

Meanwhile, stick your linguine/spaghetti into a pot of boiling water, and cook until al dente. Drain, and bung back into the pan. Fling in the crab mixture and the rocket, and stir through the pasta.

Add lots of black pepper and some grated cheese (parmesan would be nice).

Spaghetti bolognese

An oldie, but a goodie, to quote my mum. (note - a goodie, not a Goodie. That would be something entirely different.)

I suspect this recipe is nothing like an authentic bolognese, but hey, this is what I remember my mum making in the 1970s, and it was one of the first things I learned to cook, so this is what we have too.

Makes enough for 4-6 (depending on how greedy you are).

500g lamb mince (can be done with beef or pork too, but I like lamb the best)
one large onion, chopped
one clove of garlic, finely chopped
couple of sticks of celery, chopped
diced peppers (we had a bit of red and green pepper in this today, as that's what was left in the fridge - sometimes I also add some courgette, or carrots)
a tin of tomatoes
tomato puree - a tablespoon (I didn't use this today, as I still had some sauce left from the pizza on Sunday, which I bunged in instead)
couple of bay leaves
black pepper
dried mixed herbs (you could use thyme, oregano, basil...you choose)

Fry the mince in a hot pan until it turns brown. Add the garlic and onion, and fry until translucent. Throw in the rest of the celery and peppers, and cook until softened. Add the tomatoes (and a little extra water - rinse out the tomato can), tomato puree, bay leaves, herbs and black pepper, and heat until it bubbles. Turn down, and simmer for a while - an hour or more is perfect. It's edible after 30 minutes (especially if you use passata instead of the tomatoes, as the sauce cooks down quicker).

Eat with lots of spagetti and parmesan cheese. Twirling around the fork optional.