I'm out and about this month promoting my latest cookbook, Bake, which is just out! It's a collection of delicious and easy recipes - including cakes and bakes, tarts and pies, quiches and casseroles and you can buy your copy now at amazon.co.uk
- Rigatoni with Courgettes, Lemon and Basil
If you fancy a frozen dessert but don't want the heaviness of ice cream, sorbets are just the ticket. These melon ones are real crowd-pleasers and are perfect as an afternoon treat on a hot summer's day.
Serves 4, Vegetarian
1/2 ripe melon, such as Ogen or Charentais (about 400g/14oz)
Juice of 1 large or 2 small limes
30ml (1 fl oz) stock syrup (see handy tip)
Liquidise all the ingredients in a food processor and push through a sieve to strain.
Pop the liquid sorbet into a medium-sized bowl, cover and place in the freezer. After about 2 hours, remove the bowl and whisk the sorbet to break up the ice crystals. Repeat 2 hours later, adding one slightly whisked egg white. If you have a sorbetière, use this instead as it is much simpler. Follow the manufacturer's instructions.
Stock syrup is a useful mixture to have at hand for such things as cocktails and poaching fruit, as well as for making sorbet. Store it in a jar or bottle with a lid in a cool place and it keeps indefinitely. To make 150ml (1/4 pint), place 200g (7oz) caster sugar and 200ml (7 fl oz) water in a saucepan and bring slowly to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Then boil for 2 minutes and leave to cool.
Rigatoni with Courgettes, Lemon and Basil
This is one of my all-time favourite comfort foods. It's surprisingly refreshing for a pasta dish due to the fresh flavours of the lemon, courgette and basil, but the mascarpone and cream cheese are warmly satisfying.
Serves 4, Vegetarian
450g (1lb) rigatoni or other pasta shapes
2 tbsp olive oil
4 small or 2 medium courgettes, halved lengthways, seeds removed and thinly sliced at an angle (see handy tip)
100g (4oz) mascarpone cheese or soft cream cheese
3 tbsp milk
Finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon
3 tbsp torn or sliced fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Bring a large pot of water to the boil with a good pinch of salt, then cook the pasta according to the packet's instructions.
While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a medium-sized frying pan over a high heat, then add the courgettes. Cook for 3–4 minutes until just softened and lightly golden. In a bowl, mix together the cheese, milk, lemon zest and 1 tablespoon of the basil. Add to the courgettes in the pan and toss together on the heat for 1 minute, until the cheese has melted. Season to taste.
Drain the pasta and reurn to the large pot. Add the creamy courgettes and gently stir to mix. Then pour into a warm serving bowl and scatter with the remaining basil. Serve immediately.
If the courgettes are 12cm (41/2in) or smaller, there is no need to halve them lengthways or remove the seeds. Just remove the ends and slice thinly.