When flipping through the pages of a cookbook to find something to fix for this column, certain things always catch my eye. The length of a recipe's ingredients list is almost always the first thing I ...

Roll level tablespoons of the mixture into balls. For the pasta bake, preheat the oven to 200C/180 Fan/Gas Mark 6 before heating half the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.

Add the pasta and bring to a simmer, stirring regularly. Cover with a lid, or if you prefer tip into a baking dish and cover with foil, and bake for 20 minutes. Take the casserole out of the oven ...