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Susan Jung

Pasta salads don't rate highly among foodies, but there's no denying the convenience of pasta dishes  made in advance then served at room temperature. If made with top quality ingredients, the following recipes will be a hit with dinner guests. But don't leave these dishes at room temperature for long (two to three hours if it's cool outside, or one hour if it's a hot day). If necessary, refrigerate them and remove from the fridge about an hour before serving. Dishes served at room temperature need to be more strongly seasoned than those eaten hot.

Angel-hair pasta with ricotta, pine nuts and shaved parmesan (pictured)

Because there are so few ingredients in this and the next pasta dish, use top-quality extra virgin olive oil that has a taste you like on its own. If you're making this in advance, add the basil leaves, ricotta and parmesan just before serving.

250 grams angel-hair pasta

250 grams ricotta cheese

250 grams small, oval tomatoes, halved

About 100ml extra virgin olive oil

Fresh basil leaves

80 grams pine nuts

Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Parmesan, for shaving

Toast the pine nuts in an unoiled skillet, shaking constantly over a low-medium heat until light brown and fragrant (or toast them in a 180 degree Celsius oven, shaking occasionally).

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, add the pasta and cook. Drain the pasta,  drizzle with  olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss thoroughly.  Mix with the tomatoes, pine nuts and basil. Taste for seasonings and correct if necessary. If the noodles are too dry add more olive oil. Put the ricotta on top, mix it lightly into the pasta then use a vegetable peeler to shave the parmesan over the top. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Orzo with lemon and parmesan

This rice-shaped pasta is deceptive: you expect it to have the starchy 'bite' of rice, but instead it has the slippery feel of noodles. This simple dish goes well with roast meat. If you like, add about 100 grams of frozen peas (preferably petits pois) to the pasta as it cooks, about 30 seconds before it's ready, then drain and prepare with the rest of the ingredients.

250 grams orzo

1 thin-skinned juicy lemon

About 100ml extra virgin olive oil

About 50 grams freshly grated parmesan, plus extra for shaving

80 grams pine nuts, toasted as in the first recipe

Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Remove the zest  from the lemon, preferably using a citrus zester to  produce long, thin strands, or use a rasp grater (known as a Microplane). Juice the lemon and strain it.

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, cook

the pasta and drain. Toss the pasta with the olive oil and some of the lemon juice - start with about 45ml and add  to taste.  Stir in the parmesan and pine nuts then season to taste with salt (you won't need much because the parmesan is salty) and black pepper.  If the consistency is dry, add more extra virgin olive oil. Shave more parmesan over the pasta and serve warm or at room temperature.

Cold peanut noodles If possible, make the sauce at least a day in advance (or up to three days)  bring it to room temperature before tossing it with the cooked noodles. This is good  with blanched Chinese vegetables, and soy sauce chicken or roast pork  from a roast meat shop.

500 grams fresh thin egg noodles

250 grams smooth peanut butter, preferably natural

2 (or more) garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

Fresh red chillies, (or use chilli oil), to taste

1 tsp grated ginger, or to taste

A small handful of fresh coriander

About 45ml soy sauce, or to taste

About 45ml Chinese brown vinegar or rice vinegar, or to taste

A little runny honey

About 45ml sesame oil

For the garnish:

Julienned spring onions

Whole coriander sprigs

Toasted sesame seeds

Shichimi (Japanese seven-spice seasoning)

Fresh bean sprouts, heads and stringy tails removed

Put the peanut butter, garlic, chopped chillies (or chilli oil), ginger, coriander, soy sauce and vinegar in a food processor and blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning and whisk in a little honey to taste; correct the other ingredients if necessary. Whisk in the sesame oil and refrigerate for at least two hours to allow the flavours to blend. Let the sauce reach room temperature before using. If the sauce is too thick, whisk in a little warm water.

Boil the egg noodles until tender. Drain thoroughly and toss immediately with some of the sauce (you probably won't need all of it). Serve the noodles warm or at room temperature and let your guests add the garnishes.



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