This deliciously simple, spicy pasta recipe is great for mid-week lunches or dinners.

Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes.

Ingredients (serves 4 people)

• 400-500 grams of fusilli pasta
• A large pot of boiling water
• 1 white onion finely chopped
•  2 cloves of garlic minced
• 1-2 fresh red chili peppers finely chopped
• 4-5 tbsp. of olive oil
• 2 tbsp. concentrated tomato paste
• 1 cup of fresh chopped tomatoes (or 1 tin of chopped tomatoes)
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 tin of black olives (more of less as you prefer)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Chili flakes and parmesan cheese for garnish (optional)

Preparation

1. Bring a pot of water to the boil and insert the fusilli pasta. Boil for 10-12 minutes.
2. In the meantime, chop the onion, garlic and chilies.
3. Heat the olive oil in a deep pan and fry the onion for a couple of minutes until golden.
4. Add the chilies and garlic, then fry gently for a further 3-4 minutes until tender.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes and the tomato paste to the pan and stir, simmering for 5-6 minutes until it starts to thicken.
6. Once cooked, turn the heat off, add the lemon juice, black olives, salt and pepper.
7. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce pan and mix to coat the pasta in the sauce.
8.  Ideally eat straight away while hot or refrigerate for serving later. Before serving, pour some olive oil over the top and mix.  Garnish with chili flakes and/or parmesan cheese (optional).