The sun is shining and summer is on the way, so the last thing you want to be doing is slaving over a hot stove in the kitchen for hours on end.

What you need is a light, healthy meal that can be prepared in a flash and that gives you plenty of energy for those outdoor exertions during the fine weather.

What you need is pasta.

Hot or cold, for lunch, tea or dinner parties, pasta has to be the most versatile food around, and there are plenty of dishes perfectly suited to the hot months ahead of us.

Chef and food consultant Ursula Ferrigno loves pasta so much she eats it every day - even at Christmas.

Now she is sharing some of her many recipes in a new book, Truly Madly Pasta, to help you expand your repertoire beyond just the occasional spaghetti bolognese.

Half-Italian and trained in Paris, Ferrigno is renowned as a top vegetarian cook but also ventures into meat recipes here for the first time.

From 10-minute meals dressed with cheese, tomato or garlic, to fancy filled pastas with rabbit or lobster, the book caters for every taste and talent, drawing on traditional Italian techniques for a more authentic result.

Below is a recipe that's our pick of the bunch.

Truly Madly Pasta, by Ursula Ferrigno, is published by Quadrille, priced é12.99, or buy at a discount online below for é9.09.