Strolling Rigatoni

Boil a pot of water with 1⁄2 tsp of salt for your pasta. Finely dice the onion and garlic. Roughly chop the basil.

Unfortunately our friends at Delverde are enjoying the Italian sun this week so only half of you have rigatoni and the other half have penne. If you have rigatoni, cook the pasta for 11 mins or until ‘al dente’, if you have penne, cook your pasta for 6 mins or until ‘al dente’. Tip: ‘Al dente’ simply means the pasta is cooked through but has a tiny bit of firmness left in the middle - taste it as you go to get it just right.

Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to a pan over a medium heat. Once warm, add the onions and cook gently for 5 mins until soft. Add the garlic and a few good grinds of black pepper and cook for another minute.

Cut the olives in half lengthways and add to the pan along with 2 tbsp of pasta water. Tip: Adding pasta water is a classic Italian trick and adds some salt and starchiness to give you a bit of a sauce.

When the pasta is cooked, it’s time to combine everything. Add the roasted tomatoes and peppers to the pan. Tear the mozzarella into small strips and add half of this to the pan aswell with all but 1 tbsp of the chopped basil. Add the pasta and toss everything together.