Recipe / Last orders of summer pasta

THE LAST of our cold pasta salad recipes comes from Mrs L T Redston of Aberystwyth, Dyfed. 'This is partly my recipe with a little help from one of my cookbooks,' she writes. It is surely universal enough to lie in the public domain, in addition to which it is simple and wholesome. Mrs Redston will receive a copy of Elizabeth David's Summer Cooking.

Penne Primavera

Serves 4

Ingredients: 4oz (115g) broccoli florets

4oz (115g) french beans, cut in 2in lengths

4oz (115g) mangetout

1lb (450g) penne pasta (quills)

Vinaigrette: 9tbs olive oil

3tbs wine vinegar or lemon juice

1-2tsp French mustard

2tbs fresh chopped basil, or mint, or tarragon, or parsley or fennel feathers

1tsp caster sugar (optional)

1 garlic clove, crushed

salt and black pepper

Preparation: Steam or blanch vegetables until brightly coloured and still crisp. Mix vinaigrette in bottom of a large bowl. Season to taste. Add vegetables and toss. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta. Cook until al dente. Drain and immediately refresh under cold water. Add to bowl. Toss. Allow to cool, then chill briefly. Serve garnished with fresh herbs.

Next week, the first of our cooking with mint category. Excellent recipes are streaming in, but new ones are welcome. Send them - stating the source - to Emily Green, Recipe, Weekend Features, The Independent, 40 City Road, London EC1Y 2DB. Those whose recipes we print will receive a bottle of Cabernet Franc 1990 Family Reserve from Francis Ford Coppola's estate in Napa Valley, California, imported by Reid Wines, Hallatrow, near Bristol.