Life can get in the way of blogging. Sure things have been quiet around here, but the eating has continued, even if the backlog of posts steadily grows.

And whilst eating out is always fun, the best type of meal is always a home-cooked one. There's nothing more satisfying than converting a jumble of random ingredients into a delicious meal. I love the flexibility and speed of pasta, and within an hour of arriving home the other night, I was happily twirling strands of lemony al dente spaghetti, tossed through with squeaky slices of crisp haloumi and tender sweet strips of zucchini, a chilled glass of gewurtztraminer on the side.

Lemon spaghetti with char grilled zucchini strips and pan-fried haloumi

2-3 medium zucchini (courgettes)
200g haloumi cheese
olive oil
2 cloves garlic
3-6 anchovies
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 bunch fresh parsley, chopped coarsely
500g spaghetti

Slice zucchini lengthwise into 1cm thick strips. Dress lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook both sides on a cast-iron griddle until tender. Set aside.

Slice haloumi thinly and pan-fry without oil in a non-stick frypan until the slices are golden. Set aside.

Slice garlic thinly and pan-fry in a little olive oil with the fresh breadcrumbs until golden. Set aside.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve one cup of pasta water, then drain the cooked pasta.

Gently fry the anchovies in a tablespoon or two of olive oil until melted. Add the pasta, zucchini, haloumi and parsley. Add just enough of the reserved pasta water to stop the pasta drying out. If your frypan is small, you may wish to mix everything in smaller, or individual, batches.

Dish up onto plates. Garnish generously with the grated lemon zest and a cheerful splash of lemon juice. Serve with plenty of freshly cracked pepper and your favourite salt flakes.