Tagliatelle with mushrooms, brandy & green peppercorns

For quick comfort food, this dish is ideal: once the pasta is done, it's ready in minutes. If you don't have brandy, try whisky or a dry white wine. When it comes to the peppercorns, try to stick to the recipe: green peppercorns are more vegetal than warming (dried are slightly weaker). If you can’t find green ones, try 2 tsp of coarsely-ground black pepper, but never use pink peppercorns for this, unless you want a numb mouth. Serves 2 Prep 5 mins Cook 25 mins £ 2.69 per serving

1 Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions in very salty water. Drain the pasta once it's cooked, reserving around 50ml of the cooking water, and have the pasta handy.

2 For the sauce, heat a medium frying pan over a high heat. Once hot, add the oil and butter, along with the onion, mushrooms and peppercorns. Cook, stirring and tossing the pan constantly, for a few minutes until the mushrooms wilt down and the onion is just slightly softened and coloured. Add the brandy and allow it to bubble and evaporate almost entirely – it's fine if it catches fire: just watch your eyebrows. Add the chicken stock and allow that to bubble and almost entirely evaporate. Add the cream and bubble for a minute, then turn off the heat and season to taste. Stir the pasta into the sauce in the frying pan and coat well. If the sauce is a little thick, let it down with the reserved pasta water. Serve immediately.