Wheelie Good Ricotta, Mint & Chilli Rotelle Pasta

A simple pasta is easy to make with a quick trip to the shops. Pasta of your choice (rotelle just because I love the shape) is paired with ricotta, feta, chilli, peas and tomatoes. It can be made in about 15 minutes too!

As soon as I saw this wheel pasta at the shops I bought it knowing that I had to try it. I love pasta shapes-the more unusual the better. There's even one that I keep a look out for. It's called radiatori and it is shaped like a radiator! I've never seen them but apparently they're great for catching sauces.

The wheel shape is also wonderful for grabbing little bits so I decided to make these with peas, ricotta and chilli. This was also because I had these ingredients in the fridge. But the pasta doesn't need a particularly runny sauce, it does well with little "bits". The peas get caught in the spoke detail and the wheels held together well giving the perfect size for a forkful.

Speaking of wheels, as different as I feel from the rest of my family there are times where you just can't doubt the family resemblance. Like when we are driving to a restaurant and the "empty fuel" light goes on in the car.

"Are you going to stop and fill up?" asks my sister aloud, echoing my very own mental alarm at the glowing orange light. If that happens while I am driving, I swing into the nearest petrol station.

"Don't worry, we've got heaps of petrol left," says Mr NQN nonchalantly.

"Is he going to fill up the tank?" mutters my mother to my sister from the back seat where my family are sitting propped up like bowling pins. This started a whole whispered conversation among my sister, mother and father about the state of the fuel light. Mr NQN is used to me freaking out and laughed and assured them that he would pull over at an upcoming petrol station. And as we pulled in and filled up I could see relief relax my family's postures immediately and mine too. Yep you can't beat genes.

So tell me Dear Reader, do you fill up as soon as you can? Are you like the rest of your family in strange little things like this? And what is the most unusual pasta shape that you've seen?

Ricotta, Mint & Chilli Rotelle Pasta

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

• 250g/8.8ozs rotelle pasta
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
• 150g/5ozs. cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup peas
• 2 chillies, sliced
• 150g/5ozs. ricotta cheese
• 50g/1.7ozs. Persian feta
• Small handful of mint

Step 1 - Cook the pasta in plenty of water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water. Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a pan and fry the garlic and cherry tomatoes. Add the peas, cooking water and chillies and cook for 2-3 minutes on medium high heat until it reduces a little.

Step 2 - Add the pasta and scatter over with ricotta and feta and mint. Season with salt and pepper.