Rigatoni with chorizo and manzanillo black olives.

Like most mums, sometimes getting a meal on the table in the evening can be quite a challenge. If you are, like me, a taxi driver as well as cook, then this recipe is for you. Quick. Easy. The whole family will think you are amazing. We all would like that! This certainly qualifies as dinner in a dash. Not that I have anything against swinging past the drive-through of Maccas, I prefer to whip this up instead. The spicy-ness of the chorizo, the sweetness of the tiny tomatoes, the salty-ness of the olives along with the zing from the parmesan cheese, your taste buds will be in heaven.The recipe for the tomato and basil sauce follows. This is what is required to get you started.

Take some tiny sweet tomatoes…

some fully ripe black olives, full of flavour…

2 x chorizo spanish saucage spiced with paprika and dried smoked red pepper for a hit of heat…

tomato and basil sauce

baby spinach for a hit of colour

a chunk of parmesan cheese, grated

a packet of rigatoni, tube shaped pasta with ridges

chop the chorizo into bite-sized pieces

fry the chorizo in a dry pan until it is coloured and crisp. No need to add oil, it will release it's own oils and flavours.

quarter the tomatoes

boil the rigatoni in a large pot of salted boiling water

stir the tomato and basil sauce through the rigatoni

add the tomatoes

and the spicy chorizo

shiny black manzanillo olives

and toss through the baby spinach

sprinkle with a shower of parmesan and serve.

Here’s the recipe for the tomato and basil sauce.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

3 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes

2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons of sugar

1 large handful of basil leaves, torn into pieces

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Method

1. Heat oil in a saucepan and gently cook the onion and garlic until soft. Stir in tomatoes, chilli flakes, balsamic vinegar and sugar. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 45 minutes. Stir in the torn basil and season with salt and pepper.

Note: this sauce is so handy. You can freeze it as well. So make up a huge pot and put some in your freezeer to save time when you next have to be taxi driver!