Recipe: Lucy Tweed’s Comforting, Garlic-Heavy Midnight Pasta

According to Lucy Tweed, the food stylist and cook behind Every Night of the Week, there’s a lot of power in a meal that can be prepared in a pinch. With a family of five, the time around dinner can be a little bit crazy at her place.

“From 6 till 7.30 is peak hour in our house,” she says. “People come storming in, there’s a rabbit to be let out, there’s a dog to be let in, there’s bags to pack, there’s showers to be had, there’s homework, someone’s got to find a sock, there’s rugby the next day. Everyone is jamming around, there’s a flutter of chaos and everyone’s hungry.”

Tweed says that the key to avoiding stress at mealtimes is having a pantry full of staples that you can whip into something quick and tasty. “I think I’d really panic if I looked in my pantry and there wasn’t garlic or olive oil,” she says.

Pasta should always be there, too, because it’ll keep pretty much indefinitely, as well as a few simple extras. “Keep a few spunky ingredients which can just boost the flavour profile,” says Tweed. “For me it’s anchovies.” She also recommends a good wedge of parmesan and some (ideally local) tinned tomatoes.

With a handful of these staple ingredients, Tweed says you’re only ever a few minutes away from her simple, flavour-packed pasta.

“I like to call it a midnight pasta,” she says. “It’s such a great late-night thing when you’re just feeling down and you don’t have much energy but you’ve got to do something quick.” And it really will be quick. “The longest bit is the boiling of the water,” says Tweed. “If you want it fast and furious, do it with angel hair pasta and you’re on the table in less than 10 minutes.”

Lucy Tweed’s Midnight Pasta

Serves 4-6

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

500g angel hair spaghetti
2 tbsp olive oil
1 shallot (or small brown onion), peeled and sliced
1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp tomato paste
4 anchovies, chopped
¼ cup chopped parsley
½ tsp chilli flakes (optional)
120g baby rocket
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

Method

In a deep frypan with a lid, pan fry the shallot and cherry tomatoes in olive oil over medium to high heat for three minutes.

Add garlic, tomato paste, chilli and anchovies and saute for a further 2 minutes.

Add the pasta, 700 ml water and parsley, toss well then reduce heat to medium and cover for five minutes or until water is nearly evaporated and the pasta is al dente.

Toss pasta with parmesan and an extra drizzle of oil.

Serve immediately or eat straight from the pan.