The last few weeks have been manic for me at work, with sadly too many late nights in the office and very little time to do anything else – including cook.  Last night, feeling time poor but in the need of something comforting after a long day of meetings, I knocked up the simplest, tastiest pasta I’ve had in a while.  I call it Seaside  Scallop Pasta and it’s one of my all time “go to” favourite dishes.

The only way I can describe the taste is to say that it’s like the first day of Spring on the Cote d’Azuer. The suns shining and there’s a slight salty sea breeze in the air. With each bite you’ll swear you can hear seagulls and lapping of waves. The ultimate simple supper, packed with flavour, whipped up in moments.

You’ll need…

• 1 x handful of fresh pasta
• 1 x half tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1 x half packet of scallops (about 200g)
• 1 x tablespoon of capers
• 1 x dried chili
• 1 x sprinkling of Parmesan

First, put a pan of water on to boil. Add a big pinch of salt and cover. Once your water’s bubbling, pop your pasta in.

Now, put a frying pan onto a high heat. Get it nice and hot and add a glug of olive oil, don’t be shy. Swill it around the pan to cover the base and then lob in those scallops. Once they start to look less translucent add your chopped dried chili.

Toss everything about a bit and then pour in your tinned tomatoes and chuck in the capers. Let things bubble away for a minute or two. Keep an eye on your pasta, you want it to be ‘al dente’ (firm) so cook it for the lowest time suggested on the pack. Pull out a piece, taste it, if it’s done, drain it.

Serve your pasta onto a pre-warmed dish. Have a taste of your delicious sauce and season to taste before pouring over the steaming bowl of pasta and  and scattering with fresh Parmesan (go on, make it snow!).

There really is no simpler a dish.  Six ingredients. Ten minutes cooking. Tasty and healthy.

Yeah, yeah, I know some of you will say it’s not healthy as it includes carbs from the pasta and dairy from the cheese but so what? Your body needs elements from all the food groups so yes it is healthy.  People who obsess over  weight are the most boring people you will ever know in your life. Don’t let their insecurities ruin your lovely time or, worse still, encourage you to judge yourself with the same harshness. Nobody wants to hang out with someone who scrutinize the ingedients list before ordering steamed kale. Conversely, people who like food are fun, sensuous and celebratory. Some of the best laughs of your life will occur over a table of great food and wine, never over the roar of a NutriBullet. So learn to cook a dish like this and enjoy it.

Oh and if like me you’ve had a hectic day, pour yourself a large, cold glass of your favourite white wine and sup it up whilst you tuck into this plate of yumminess!