Food writer Colu Henry, who writes for The New York Times, released a wonderful book called Back Pocket Pasta in 2017. It’s a collection I often find myself picking up for week-night inspiration – not to cook a specific recipe, but to delve into the mindset of creating simple pasta suppers that can be eked out of even the most sparsely stocked kitchen pantry.

he genius of really great Italian pasta recipes is often just that. Take the classic cacio e pepe, a luscious dish made with only a little pecorino cheese, freshly ground black peppercorns, cooked pasta and a drop of its starchy cooking liquid. Carbonara, al pomodoro, puttanesca… the list goes on, proof that the simple ones are almost always the best.