British Tomato Fortnight: Three perfect pasta recipes

Celebrate the great British tomato properly – by whacking it in one of these glorious pasta dishes, says Hannah Twiggs

Pasta perfection: puttanesca, saffron orzo stew, and risotto with buratta (British Piccolos)

In the face of mounting pressure from labour shortages, supply delays and skyrocketing energy prices, celebrating British produce is more important than ever.

If you’re in a supermarket during the next two weeks, look out for a British Tomato Fortnight sticker. Running until 11 June, the campaign hopes to shine a light on locally grown varieties and encourage consumers to buy British.

Not only is that a boon to your carbon footprint and your health, but also to your plate – juicy and packed full of flavour, British toms are an extremely versatile cooking ingredient.

They go especially well in this pasta puttanesca, which takes no more than 30 minutes to get onto the table, as well as the tomato, lemon zest and sage risotto with burrata – ultimate comfort food that’s balanced by the natural sweetness of the whole toms.

Lastly, in the saffron chicken, tomato, orzo and squash stew, the toms are left whole and added it right at the end for a delightful sweet note.

Get stuck in.

Piccolo pasta puttanesca

This puttanesca is ready in under half an hour (British Piccolos)

This dish doesn’t take much longer than the 30 minutes needed to roast the Piccolo cherry tomatoes. Perfection.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

750g Piccolo cherry tomatoes

Olive oil

300g spaghetti

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 red chilli, finally chopped

1 tsp tomato purée

100g pitted black olives, roughly chopped

8 anchovy fillets in oil, drained, roughly chopped

2 tbsp capers, drained

1 heaped tbsp chopped fresh basil

To serve:

Freshly grated parmesan

Fresh basil, to garnish

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 5. Tip the Piccolo cherry tomatoes onto a baking tray and drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil. Roast for 30 minutes.

Cook the spaghetti according to packet instructions. Heat a dash of olive oil in a saucepan, add the garlic and red chilli and cook for a few minutes until aromatic. Add the tomato purée and cook for another minute.

Remove the roasted tomatoes from the oven, pour any excess liquid into a bowl and set aside. Add the tomatoes (along with the chopped olives, anchovies and capers) to the pan with the garlic and chilli. Sprinkle over the chopped basil. Add a splash of the excess tomato liquid if necessary.

Drain the spaghetti and serve with the puttanesca sauce topped with freshly grated parmesan and extra basil.

Tomato, lemon zest and sage risotto with burrata

The ultimate comfort food: risotto (British Piccolos)

The ultimate in comfort food, this risotto really packs in the flavour, balanced by the natural sweetness of the whole Piccolos.

Serves: 4

3 tbsp olive oil

2 shallots, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1½ tbsp tomato purée

280g risotto rice, such as Arborio

Knob of butter

100ml white wine

1 litre stock (made with 1 vegetable or chicken stock cube)

1 lemon, zest only

10 sage leaves, chopped

50g Parmesan, finely grated

250g Piccolo cherry tomatoes, left whole, stalks removed if preferred

115g burrata, divided into quarters

1 heaped tbsp toasted pine nuts

Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Method:

Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the shallots, stir well then cover and cook over a low heat until soft and lightly browned. Add the garlic and tomato purée and cook for another minute.

Stir in the rice with a knob of butter, continue to stir and cook for another minute. Pour the wine into the pan and bring to a simmer. Cook for a minute for the rice to absorb the liquid. Add a quarter of the stock and cook to allow the liquid to be absorbed – keep adding more stock as it is absorbed. Stir from time to time.

Add the lemon zest and chopped sage. Cook uncovered, stirring from time to time, for about 20-25 minutes, or until the rice is tender and very creamy. Finally, stir in the Parmesan cheese.

Meanwhile, heat another pan with a dash of olive oil and cook the tomatoes over a high heat until softened.

Divide the risotto among four plates, topped with the Piccolo cherry tomatoes, a quarter of the burrata for each serving, some toasted pine nuts, and a drizzle of olive oil.

Saffron chicken, tomato, orzo and squash stew

Whole tomatoes add a delightful sweet note to this stew (British Piccolos)

Piccolo cherry tomatoes are left whole and added right at the end of this stew to retain their shape and add a delightful sweet note. You will not be disappointed!

Serves: 4

Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, sliced

2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks (about 400g total weight)

1 small butternut squash (about 600g/1lb 4oz), peeled and chopped

Generous pinch saffron

500ml chicken stock

150g orzo400g whole Piccolo cherry tomatoes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Small handful roughly chopped flatleaf parsley, to serve

Method:

In a large pan, heat half of the olive oil, then fry the onion for five minutes, or until the onion is softened. Add the garlic and cook for a couple more minutes. Remove from the pan.

Add the chicken to the pan and cook on all sides until nicely browned. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper

Add the chopped squash and cook for a further few minutes.

Add the saffron and chicken stock and return the onion and garlic to the pan. Cook at a simmer for about 5 minutes.

Increase the temperature to a boil, tip in the orzo and turn the heat back to a simmer. Cook for a further 10 minutes, adding a splash more water if it starts to dry out.

Tip in the Piccolos and cook for a further few minutes to soften.

Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and serve garnished with parsley.

Learn more about British Tomato Fortnight at britishtomatoes.co.uk/british-tomato-fortnight