This is a quick and easy pasta sauce by Jamie Oliver which you can make with things out of the cupboard, as long as you have a couple of courgettes. Jamie recommends eating it with toasted bread too, though we haven’t tried that yet. The essential ingredients are garlic, lemon, mint and courgette.

Serves 6-8
Extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped [we used 2 cloves of Pablo’s fresh pink Andalucian garlic, very strong!]
1-2 small red chillies, crumbled [I used ½ tsp dried chilli flakes, it depends on how hot you want it]
6-8 small courgettes, unevenly sliced [basically one courgette per person]
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 good handful of fresh mint, rinsed and chopped [keep a few whole mint leaves on the side for decoration]
Juice of 1 lemon
Whole almonds [optional]
Dried pasta, quantity to suit you Put a couple of glugs of oil into a hot pan, one with a lid. Fry the garlic and chillies for a couple of minutes. Throw in the courgettes, stir to coat with oil. Turn the heat down slightly and put the lid on. Give the pan a shake and stir every 5 minutes, for around 35 minutes, making sure the courgettes don’t catch on the bottom of the pan. Cooking with the lid on ensures there’s a little moisture in the pan.

Meanwhile, toast the almonds lightly and set aside. We always include toasted nuts in a vegetarian dish such as this, as essential protein.When the courgettes are really soft, with some chunky pieces and the rest pulped, remove from the heat and taste.

Season well, pour in four good glugs of olive oil to flavour and loosen the sauce.

Add the chopped mint, almonds and lemon juice. At this point the sauce can be stored in the fridge, or used as a pasta sauce. Meanwhile, cook your pasta according to your normal method. When it’s cooked, drain and add the courgette sauce to the pan. Toss to mix, then sprinkle a few whole mint leaves and serve. 5 to remember
fresco/a – fresh
un copo – a flake
lo agita – shake it
ligeramente – slightly
la tapa – the lid 

‘The Return of the Naked Chef’ by Jamie Oliver