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Pasta al tonno, or pasta with tuna, using one of my favourite pastas – Mafaldine to catch the sauce. It’s a delicious blend of brightness and freshness from the mix of tomatoes, capers and lemon, combined with the savoury depth of flavour of canned tuna. Cooking the pasta just short of al dente before adding to the sauce is best! It’s the perfect pantry meal.

Prep time │10 minutes

Cooking time│ 30 minutes

Serves│ 4

Ingredients

500 gm pasta of your choice -I find mafaldine, small shells or orecchiette best.

425gm tin of tuna in olive oil

2 tbspn olive oil

2 cloves of garlic minced

Zest of one lemon

Juice of half a small lemon

1/3 cup salted capers, rinsed

1/2 tspn chilli flakes

1 tbspn finely chopped basil

Parsley to serve.

Method

1.Bring a pot of salted water to boiling and cook pasta until just shy of al dente ( a minute or two short of packet instructions).

2. In a large skillet or straight-sided sauté pan, combine oil and garlic gently as to not burn the garlic about 30 seconds to be fragrant. Add the tin of tuna. Breaking up gently taking care to keep pieces of tuna as intact as possible.

3. Add the tin of cherry tomatoes, capers and chilli flakes, lemon zest and juice. Cook on medium about 10 minutes

4. Reserve a cup of pasta water and drain cooked pasta.

5, Increase heat of sauce and add pasta to pan of sauce with the reserved water. Fold in so not to break up the sauce too much and just coat the pasta. Add chopped basil and mix.

6. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Add parsley to serve.

A good leg of lamb is the hero of this dish! You could also use a shoulder. I have used approximately a 2 kg leg for this recipe. Cooking the lamb by slowly roasting it in a parcel of paper and foil keeps the juices in and the meat becomes beautifully tender. The marinade is a rub of olive oil, garlic, oregano, thyme and lemon zest and juice. I recommend marinating the lamb overnight if you can! The vegetables and herbs shine with the juices from the lamb!

 Note: You will need to set aside time for this recipe, marinating the lamb overnight or for at least 4 hours, and the cook time of 5 hours.

Prep time │20 minutes

Cooking time│ 4.5-5 hours

Serves│ 4-6

Ingredients

For Marinade:

Approximately 2 kg lamb leg (you can also use shoulder)

3 tablespoons of olive oil

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tablespoon of chopped thyme

1 tablespoon of chopped oregano

Zest of one lemon

Juice of half a lemon

1 tablespoon of salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

For vegetables:

4 large potatoes, washed, and cut into quarters

1 bunch of heirloom carrots, washed, trimmed, keeping green tops intact

1 red capsicum, washed, stems removed and cut into large pieces

2 large tomatoes, cut into wedges

1 whole garlic bulb, sliced in two horizontally

1 lemon zested and juiced, reserve halves

½ cup of pitted Kalamata Olives

1 teaspoon chopped Oregano

1 teaspoon chopped Thyme

1 bay leaf

3 tablespoons olive oil

100 mL water

100 mL white wine (stock can be used if you don’t want to use wine)

Salt for seasoning

For serving:

Thyme

Crumbled feta

Lemon wedges

To marinade lamb:

1. Pat lamb dry and use a sharp knife to score the top of the lamb making shallow cuts all over.
2. In a small bowl mix the marinade ingredients. Rub all over the lamb and place in a zip lock bag with any liquid from the marinade or cover in a bowl and refrigerate overnight (or at least 4 hours ahead).

To cook:

1. Preheat oven to 180℃ (fan). Line a roasting tray with baking paper.
2. In a large bowl, place the potatoes, carrots, capsicum, tomato and toss with salt, pepper, olive oil, lemon zest and herbs.
3. Place vegetables in the prepared roasting tray.
4. Add leg of lamb fat side up on top of the vegetables. Add garlic halves and olives to pan.
5. Add water and wine to pan (or stock if using), and juice of the lemon. Add lemon halves to the pan.
6. Lay baking paper over the pan and tuck in around the sides and cover tightly with foil. This will seal moisture as it cooks.
7. Cook in the oven for 4-4.5 hours, until meat looks juicy and tender. Check halfway through and add more water during the cook if necessary, to keep vegetables moist.
8. Remove the baking paper and foil and increase oven temperature to 200℃. Cook for 20 minutes to brown lamb.
9. Remove from oven and lamb should be tender and brown. Squeeze garlic out of skin if you wish. Crumble feta over the pan and garnish with herbs to serve.

Note: Cooking times might differ oven to oven. The leg of lamb should be deep brown and the bone will be exposed. Allow the lamb to rest for 30 minutes before serving.

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I love a good traybake! They make weeknights so easy and you can pack a lot of flavour in! This is a riff on the Feta pasta that went viral and hopefully gives you ideas for other versions. Use some good gourmet Italian sausages for extra flavour!

Ingredients

500 g fresh gnocchi

1/2 a butternut pumpkin, cut into 1-2cm cubes (approximately 700 g)

2 Italian sausages, casings removed and crumbled

200 g feta ( I use Danish as it’s a little less salty and creamier but you can use a crumbly one)

1 tsp fennel seed

1tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp dried thyme

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper for seasoning

1/4cup flat leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish

Method

Preheat oven to 230°C

Add butternut pumpkin, Italian sausage, feta, fennel seed, rosemary, thyme, and olive oil to a sheet pan. Season with salt and pepper. Mix gently to combine and spread into even layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes until gnocchi is golden and pumpkin is tender.

Remove from oven and gently toss to mix juices, sprinkle with parsley to serve.

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Cacio è Pepe (cheese and pepper in Italian) is one of my favourite pasta dishes, it’s so easy and always handy if you only have pantry items on hand. This recipe combines the comfort of crispy skinned chicken with the cheesy pasta. Inspired by recipes of my favourite food writer Diana Henry and her use of orzo (or risoni), one of my favourite types of pasta, it’s a one pan comforting meal that means less washing up!

Ingredients

4-6 chicken thighs, bone in skin on

1 tbspn olive oil

1 brown onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tspn fresh thyme leaves, extra for garnish

1 tbspn black pepper

1 cup orzo (risoni)

2 cups of chicken stock

1 tspn salt

1 cup grated pecorino or parmesan, plus more for garnish

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C

Pat chicken dry with a paper towel, removing excess moisture helps the skin get crispy. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil in an oven proof pan that has a lid over medium heat. I use a large non stick sauté pan with glass lid. Add chicken thighs skin side down for about 8 minutes to get the crispy skin. Turn over and brown underneath for about 6 minutes and remove from pan and set aside.

Using the same pan as the chicken with its juices and fat, set heat low to prevent onion burning and sauté the onion, garlic and thyme, until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Add the orzo and combine until coated, 1-2 minutes. Add the wine and reduce to evaporate – about 2 minutes.

Add the chicken stock, cheese and the pepper and stir to combine.

Return chicken on top of the orzo mixture and cover with lid.

Place in oven for about 35 minutes. The pasta will slowly absorb the liquid.

Remove the lid and continue to cook for another 10 minutes. The liquid should be absorbed and chicken cooked.

Fluff the rice with a fork and add extra cheese. Top with fresh thyme for garnish and serve.