Going Meat-Free On Good Friday?

Maybe you're religious, maybe you're not. But for some strange reason even non-church going folk like my mum seem to get funny about scarfing down a steak on Good Friday. So if you're giving meat the flick, but running short on creative vegetarian recipes, I've got the goods...

Jamie Oliver's Broccoli And Pesto Tagliatelle

You'll need:

• 1 medium potato
• 1 head of broccoli
• Large bunch fresh basil
• 70g parmesan cheese
• Salt
• 400g dried tagliatelle (I have found it works just as well with fettuccine)
• 4 tablespoons green pesto (I use pesto dip for a less potent flavour – but you need to use a little extra)

What to do:

1. Wash and peel the potato and cut it into thin shavings using a speed peeler. Slice the end off the broccoli stalk. Cut little broccoli florets off the head and put them to one side. Halve the thick stalk lengthways, then slice thinly. Pick the basil leaves and discard the stalks. Grate the parmesan.

2. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the tagliatelle and broccoli stalks and cook according to the tagliatelle packet instructions. Two minutes before the tagliatelle is cooked, add the broccoli florets and potato slices. Drain everything in a colander over a large bowl, reserving some of the cooking water, and return to the pan. Roughly chop half your basil leaves and add to the pan with the pesto and half the parmesan. Give it all a good stir and if the sauce is too thick for you, add a splash of the cooking water to thin it out a bit.

3. Divide your pasta between serving bowls (this recipe makes four to six serves). Sprinkle over the rest of the parmesan and the remaining basil leaves.