GIVE IT SOME citrus zing

Cooking with the zingy flavours of citrus and tropical fruit, in savoury or sweet dishes, brings happy thoughts of warmer times. The vivid colours are a welcome contrast to the cold and grey outside, reminding me that spring isn’t far away, and I’ve created these recipes to bring it a little bit closer. LOTTIE COVELL, ACTING FOOD LIFESTYLE EDITOR

RECIPES AND FOOD STYLING LOTTIE COVELL

PHOTOGRAPHS TOBY SCOTT STYLING TONY HUTCHINSON

Grilled mackerel, grapefruit and pesto freekeh salad

TEAM FAVOURITE

Susan Low, deputy editor

“This pappardelle has just about all my favourite things in it and it’s the perfect combination of spicy, sharp, crunchy and herby.”

Sicilian lemon pappardelle with ’nduja and crunchy breadcrumbs

SERVES 4. HANDS-ON TIME 30 MIN

KNOWHOW

’Nduja is a spreadable spicy Calabrian pork sausage. Find it in Italian delis, large supermarkets and at natoora.co.uk, or use crumbled cooking chorizo.

• 30g unsalted butter

• 4 banana shallots, sliced

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed

• Zest and juice 3 lemons (ideally Sicilian), plus wedges to serve

• 50g ’nduja, crumbled (see Know-how)

• Bunch fresh flatleaf parsley, chopped

• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for frying

• 50g fresh white breadcrumbs

• 400g fresh pappardelle

• 40g parmesan, grated, plus extra to serve

1 Heat the butter in a large pan over a low heat and fry the shallots for 15 minutes until soft. Add the garlic, lemon zest and juice, then cook for a minute. Add the ’nduja and half the parsley, then fry for 1-2 minutes.

2 In a small frying pan, heat a glug of olive oil, add the breadcrumbs and fry over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes until crisp. Set aside.

3 Cook the pappardelle in a pan of boiling salted water for 3-4 minutes until almost tender. Drain, reserving a cupful of the cooking water, then add the pasta to the ’nduja mixture. Set over a medium heat, then toss with a splash of the pasta water, the 3 tbsp olive oil and the 40g parmesan.

4 Season to taste, divide among bowls, sprinkle with the crunchy breadcrumbs and remaining parsley, then serve with lemon wedges and extra parmesan.