Serves 4

This sauce is really easy to make and so much tastier than the ready-made varieties. Bucatini pasta is thicker than spaghetti, with a straw-like hole running through the middle – bucatini means "little hole". 

4 tbsp olive oil
2 red peppers
6 ripe plum or vine tomatoes, halved
2 garlic cloves
3cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
Juice of 1 lime
2 tsp soft brown sugar
1 tbsp tomato purée
Handful of chopped coriander, leaves and stalks separated
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
400g dried bucatini pasta

1 Preheat the oven to 220C/Gas 7. Pour the oil into a roasting tray and heat in the oven until almost smoking. Carefully tip the peppers, tomatoes and garlic onto the roasting tray and toss to coat in the oil. Roast for 20-25 minutes, stirring halfway, until the peppers have blistered and the tomatoes softened and caramelised slightly.

2 Remove the roasting tray from the oven and immediately put the peppers inside a plastic food bag and seal for two to three minutes – the steam will make them easier to peel. Peel over a bowl to catch any juices, remove the core and seeds, then transfer the flesh and juices to a food processor.

3 Pop the garlic flesh from their skins and add to the peppers, along with the tomatoes and any juices collected on the roasting tray. Add the ginger, lime juice, sugar, tomato purée and coriander stalks and blend until smooth. Pour the sauce into a small pan and bring to the boil. Check for seasoning, then simmer for 5 minutes.

4 Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water until al dente, according to pack instructions. Drain, then return to the pan. Toss through a third of the sauce and divide between warmed pasta bowls. Spoon the remaining sauce on top and scatter over the coriander leaves.

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