This dish of pasta with celery and basil sauce, served here with broad beans, is an amalgam of a fondly remembered dish from childhood via what happens when you start nosing around in the British Library. Highfalutin bibliographic japes aside, it's also easy to cook.

A French Catalan stew full of fresh summer flavours. This particular recipe starts out as vegan—and is often eaten that way—making it ideal

Bucatini with king prawns and a magical sauce of three forms of tomato—hence "Il tricorno" ("the three-cornered hat") —and dried basil.

Zero-fat seafood risotto with lemon, basil, peas and green bell pepper

Piedmontese spezzatino with stuffed squash is an ideal autumnal dish, cooked with a special vegetable mix that gives base flavours