Max La Manna’s beetroot bucatini

1 To make the beetroot sauce, bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the beetroot for 10-15 mins or until tender. Drain and set aside to cool, then cut into quarters.

2 Meanwhile, in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, add the olive oil and cook the onion, garlic, parsley and basil stems for 3-5 mins or until soft and fragrant.

3 Put the beetroot into a food processor or blender, add the onion mixture, yeast, lemon juice, 1 tsp of salt and ½ tsp of ground black pepper. Pulse for 1 min then, with the motor running, drizzle in the milk.

4 Blend on high speed until very smooth. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more milk, a tablespoon at a time, to loosen.

5 Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the bucatini for 9 mins or until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving some of the cooking water. Meanwhile, prepare the crispy garlic breadcrumbs. In a separate frying pan, heat the oil over a medium heat and fry the garlic for 1 min until lightly browned. Add the breadcrumbs and cook for 2-3 mins, stirring frequently, until the breadcrumbs are lightly charred and fragrant. Remove from the heat and set aside.

6 In the same frying pan used for the onion and garlic, add the cooked pasta and beetroot sauce, over a low-medium heat stir well for 2 mins. If too thick, stir in some of the reserved pasta water.

7 Serve the pasta in bowls or on plates, garnished with roughly torn basil leaves, feta and the crispy garlic breadcrumbs.