Pasta with courgettes and chilli

Serves 4

Pasta with courgettes and chilli (Jason Lowe)

I rarely keep long-cooking pasta in my cupboard any more as there are several, very good, quick-cooking pastas on the market now – try Cipriani, Filotea from Waitrose and Di Aldo. With high-end quick-cooking pastas like these, it's dead simple to knock up a quick and tasty meal.

4 servings of quality quick-cooking pasta
2 large courgettes
2tsp dried chilli flakes
100-120ml olive oil
100g butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan, to serve

Cut the courgettes into 4-5cm lengths then slice them lengthways as thinly as possible and shred them. Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water according to the manufacturer's instructions, then drain in a colander, reserving a little cooking water.

While the pasta is cooking, melt half the butter and 50ml of the olive oil in a pan and gently cook the courgettes and chilli for 3-4 minutes until they are just tender. Toss them with the pasta, season and add the rest of the butter and olive oil and enough of the cooking water to form a coating sauce. Serve with grated Parmesan.