Spaghetti with lemon; tuna and rocket penne by David Herbert

As the weather warms up I like to serve pasta with fresh, uncooked ingredients simply tossed through it.

Spaghetti with lemon by David Herbert. Picture: Guy Bailey

As the weather warms up I like to serve pasta with fresh, uncooked ingredients that are simply tossed through it. The spaghetti recipe is adapted from one by London’s River Café. Good quality canned tuna makes all the difference in the penne recipe.

Spaghetti with lemon

250g spaghetti

Juice 3-4 lemons

150ml olive oil

150g freshly grated parmesan

2 handfuls basil leaves, finely chopped

Finely grated zest 1 lemon, optional

Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water, until al dente. While it’s cooking, whisk lemon juice with olive oil then stir in parmesan (it will melt when the mixture is added to the pasta, making it thick and creamy). Season with sea salt and black pepper and add more lemon juice to taste. Drain spaghetti and return to saucepan. Add lemon sauce and shake pan so each strand of pasta is coated. Finally, stir in chopped basil and lemon zest. Serves 6 as a starter

Tuna and rocket penne

200g penne

4 tablespoons roughly chopped rocket leaves

Grated zest and juice 1 lemon

1 garlic clove, chopped

½ large red chilli, chopped (optional)

200g canned tuna in oil

Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle

Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water, until al dente. While it’s cooking, put chopped rocket, lemon zest and juice, garlic and chilli into a small bowl. Add tuna (with oil from the can), lightly mashing it with a fork. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drain pasta, return to pan and stir in tuna mixture. Drizzle with olive oil and serve with a crisp green salad. Serves 2 as a main course