Two fast and easy midweek dinners that don't scrimp on flavour
Our house is like many around the country: busy, sometimes messy and full of constantly hungry people. As such, midweek dinners need to be quick, fulfilling and not cost the earth to put together. A well-stocked pantry and fridge is key to nailing this brief, using ingredients that are high in flavour and seasoning without breaking the bank. I'm also a divil for having the freezer stocked with garlic bread, a must for mopping up the sauce of this week's dishes.
Both of these recipes are pasta-based and designed to live in a bowl. This means they can be swimming in sauce, which is where all the good stuff lives anyway.
The first dish uses bucatini pasta, a thicker version of spaghetti (which will also work just fine). The sauce, which can be brought together in just 12 minutes, is made from cooking out a fennel bulb in olive oil and fennel seeds. While that's happening and as the pasta cooks, we make a simple pesto of capers, Parmesan and pine nuts. This is high in seasoning and, when added to the pasta sauce, immediately raises the flavour bar. Capers are definitely an ingredient to add to the pantry list.
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Sausage, courgette and rosemary rigatoni. Photograph: Harry Weir
The second dish turns to the humble sausage. Here, I'm using an Italian-style sausage with lovely savoury herbs and the perfect amount of seasoning. Cooking it off in oil and getting some colour stuck to the base of the pan is where the magic happens. Don't be afraid to let it get hot.
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Two Italian wines from Tesco to drink with pasta
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Rosemary brings another layer of Italian flair. Courgette has never been a vegetable that has floated my boat, but wilted down in pasta sauce and Parmesan, I'm anyone's. I've just ribboned them instead of using a peeler for ease of cleaning and speed.
These dishes are quick, filling and full of flavour, because hectic lives still deserve delicious food.
Recipe: Bucatini with fennel, capers and pine nuts
Recipe: Sausage, courgette and rosemary rigatoni
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