Red Hilopites Soup (v)

Hilopites are small squares of pasta traditionally eaten in the north of Greece. Here they’re made into a super-easy, comforting soup with garlic, saffron and tomatoes. I found dried hilopites from Taste Greece in Auckland, but if you can’t get find any breaking dried spaghetti into small pieces works well.

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 x 400-gram cans chopped tomatoes

400ml vegetable stock

250 grams dried hilopites pasta

zest and juice 1 lemon

1 tablespoon saffron threads, bloomed in 2 tablespoons boiling water TO SERVE 1 cup finely grated parmesan

ground pepper good-quality olive oil

Place all the ingredients, except the parmesan, in a medium pot, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender.

TO SERVE: Sprinkle the soup with parmesan and ground pepper and drizzle with olive oil before serving. SERVES 4-6