Weekend Australian Recipes Saturday 15 January No Cook Pasta Sauces

No cook pasta sauces

In summer I like to serve pasta with light, uncooked sauces. The sauces here are just roughly chopped combinations that are simply tossed through the freshly cooked and drained pasta; it is oil that binds the ingredients together. Use just enough oil to lightly coat the pasta, it shouldn’t be swimming in it. The sauce can be assembled in the time it takes for the pasta to cook. For more meaty or substantial dishes you can add peeled, cooked prawns, chopped salami or even shredded roast chicken as an addition to the tomato version or as a replacement to the tuna. Herbs like basil, parsley and chives help to perk up the flavour and colour and make good extras as does roughly chopped rocket.

Tuna and rocket penne

200g penne

4 tablespoons roughly chopped rocket leaves

Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon

1 garlic clove, chopped

1/2 large red chilli, chopped (optional)

200g tinned tuna in oil ( I used Sirena)

Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle

Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions, until it is al dente. While it is cooking, put the chopped rocket, lemon rind and juice, garlic and red chilli into a small bowl.

Add the tin of tuna (with the oil form the tin) to the bowl, lightly mashing the tuna with a fork. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Drain the pasta, return to the pan and stir in the tuna mixture. Drizzle with a little olive oil, and serve immediately with a crisp green salad. Serves 2

Spaghetti with tomato, mozzarella and basil

250g cherry tomatoes, quartered

2 cloves garlic, crushed

About 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Pinch dried chilli flakes

1 large ball fresh mozzarella

200g spaghetti

3 tablespoons fresh roughly chopped basil leaves

freshly grated Parmesan, to serve

Combine the tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and chilli in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside to marinate for up to 30 minutes. Break up or cut the mozzarella into small bite size pieces and add to the tomatoes

Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water, following the packet instructions until al dente. Drain well and return to the hot saucepan. Pour over the tomato mixture and the basil and mix well. Serve immediately with freshly grated parmesan. Serves 2

Tagliatelle with artichokes

450g artichoke hearts in oil

3 tablespoons green olives, pitted and roughly chopped

extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Grated zest 1/2 lemon

1 clove garlic, crushed

Pinch or two of crushed dried chillies

1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley

360 tagliatelle

Freshly grated parmesan, to serve

Drain the artichokes, reserving the oil and cut them into thin, bite-size wedges. Place in a bowl with the olives, reserved oil, lemon juice, garlic, chilli and parsley. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. You will need about 80-100ml of oil, so use a little extra virgin olive oil to top up the amount, if needed.

Set aside to marinate for up to 30 minutes.

Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water, following the packet instructions until al dente. Drain well and return to the hot saucepan. Pour over the artichoke mixture and mix well. Serve immediately with freshly grated parmesan. Serves 4