Zucchini and tomato ragu.

SERVES 6

This delicately flavoured dish is a little like a French ratatouille.

I like to eat it in a bowl for a quick lunch or serve it as a side dish for grilled meats. If you leave out the cheese it is lovely with grilled fish too. Alternatively, add a poached egg and call it breakfast, or stir in some hot pasta shells and it will be a perfect pasta sauce. 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed

350g zucchini, sliced into rounds (a mix of green and yellow, if possible) Salt and freshly ground black pepper

200g ripe tomatoes (round, cherry or plum), cut into 1cm cubes

125g mozzarella, roughly torn

15g parsley, roughly chopped

15g basil leaves, roughly torn

Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and fry for about 10 minutes until onion is translucent. Add the diced zucchini to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and toss through.

Cook the zucchini for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until they start to become golden.

Stir in the tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes until they have just begun to soften and the zucchini is al dente. Serve straight away while the zucchini and tomatoes are still steaming hot, topped with the mozzarella and herbs.