Recipe ideas from Michelle Darmody

Tins of tomatoes are very convenient store cupboard staples and can be used in a variety of ways.

Sun-dried tomatoes and semi sundries, their juicier counterparts, are also useful to have to hand. I often make a tasty vinaigrette with the olive oil that is drained from them; it has a lovely lingering tomato flavour.

When it is still cold outside I tend to crave old favourites for dinner. Spaghetti and meatballs are the perfect winter comfort food. Although we often think of this as a typical Italian recipe, most Italians would disagree. The dish is said to have been created by Italian immigrants on arriving in America after the turn of the century.