Capri lemon pasta with peas, broad beans and asparagus

Serves 4

300ml double cream
juice and finely grated zest of 2 lemons
a bunch of asparagus
450g fresh broad beans, podded (or 160g frozen)
400g fresh pasta (such as linguine, tagliatelle or
spaghetti)
450g fresh peas, podded (or 160g frozen)
4 tablespoons mascarpone
80g Parmesan cheese, grated
a small bunch of basil, torn
salt and black pepper

This is a simple dish, yet perfectly balanced and bursting with flavour, and this is my interpretation of it, simplified to make a sofa supper within minutes. You can vary the vegetables, or omit them altogether.

If you only have dried pasta, just cook as directed on the packet, adding the vegetables three minutes before the end of cooking.

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. Meanwhile, pour the cream and lemon zest into a saucepan and carefully bring to the boil, then simmer for three minutes.

While the cream is simmering, prepare the asparagus: Snap off the woody ends and cut into 3cm pieces. You could also peel the outer skin from the broad beans.

Cook the pasta, peas, broad beans and asparagus together in the boiling water for three minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Reserve 50ml of cooking water and drain the pasta, peas, beans and asparagus.

Pour the cream into the cooking pot, add the lemon juice, mascarpone and reserved cooking water. Return to the boil, add the pasta and vegetables, Parmesan, basil and seasoning and toss together. Divide between four bowls and serve immediately.

From The Modern Vegetarian by Maria Elia, Kyle Cathie, £16.99

Sommelier's choice

Zenato Villa Flora 2007 Lugana, Veneto, Italy

Waitrose, £7.99

This is a great wine for a creamy pasta dish. It has a delicate floral bouquet, yet has a richness and a penetrating flavour that will cut through the sauce perfectly.

www.waitrose.com