Sun-dried tomato, spinach and feta pasta salad

Mmmmm. This is actually a picture I took in 2010! I ate this at a picnic outside Windsor castle. It is a re-creation of my favourite MandS pasta salad because, let's face it, it is probably a lot cheaper to make from scratch... It has all my favourite Italian flavours in it; I particularly love the red pesto as I don't usually have this often. A perfect lunch for this amazing sunny, hot weather we're having in England, and can easily be prepared the night before.

Serves 2
- 180g pasta shapes (e.g. fusilli)
- generous amount of red pesto (the sun-dried tomato flavour)
- handful of spinach, torn
- feta, cut into cubes
- sun-dried tomatoes, sliced 
- salt & pepper
- fresh basil, torn (optional)

I haven't given specific quantities because I didn't really measure them - just add as much as you like. E.g. if you like a lot of sauce then add more pesto, or if you find sun-dried tomatoes too rich then only add a few etc.

1. Cook the pasta in salted water according to packet instructions. Drain, and leave to cool.
2. Stir in the pesto until the pasta is coated, then add all the other ingredients and mix together. Season to taste and refrigerate in a tupperware until needed!

Enjoy :)

Simple tomato and mozzarella tarts

All you will need is puff pastry, mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, dried italian herbs, and a beaten egg.

You can use ready-made puff pastry, I use Jus-Rol pastry. Simply roll it out and cut into circles, or any shape, with a cookie cutter or something similar. 

Brush the outsides of the circle with beaten egg, and place a slice of mozzarella in the middle, topped with a slice of tomato. Sprinkle with herbs and bake in the oven for around 10-15 mins on about gas mark 4 or 5 (180-200 degrees)

I made these to take to a buffet once, they were easy to re-heat in the oven and tasted delicious.

Enjoy :)