I don't know about you, but to me there is nothing more comforting than a piping hot bowl of pasta after a long day. I love pasta in the winter and I love pasta in the summer. Sure, you might change up the accompanying ingredients (depending on the weather and what's in the cupboard) but pasta is always a welcome dinner in my household at any time of year.

These past few days have been cold and drizzly. This pasta, with warming chorizo, sweet roasted red peppers and creamy Irish butter is like a warm hug in a bowl.

I don't get to Dublin very often "for fun", but a week or two ago I took a friend to the city for a wedding dress fitting. We stopped in Avoca on the way home and I went a bit nuts in the grocery section. One of the best things I came home with is the Rosa Madre pasta I used in this recipe.

The people behind the pasta run the popular Rosa Madre restaurant in Dublin. They started making fresh pasta to sell during lockdown and are continuing this side of the business, even though things are once again starting to reopen. The pasta is fresh and sold in vac-packed bags to ensure it stays that way. Once bought, I didn't use my pasta for around a week and it still cooked up beautifully. It is expensive (I spent over €6 for one package), but it was well worth it.

I enjoyed this buttery, tomatoey pasta with some finely grated Parmesan and a glass of red. The perfect wind-down dinner!

Chorizo and tomato pasta

Serves six to eight

Ingredients:

1 package (500g) fresh pasta (any kind, I used Rosa Madre)

1 tbsp rapeseed oil

200g chorizo, roughly chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

2 roasted red peppers, finely diced

400g tinned tomatoes

2 handfuls baby spinach

100g creamery butter

Salt and pepper, to taste

Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

2. While this is happening, dice your onion, red pepper and chorizo. In a large pan over medium heat, add 1 tbsp rapeseed oil and, once hot, add in the three ingredients. Cook for around 10 minutes, until the mixture is deeply caramelised.

3. Add in the tinned tomatoes and bring to a simmer; cook until thickened – around 15-20 minutes.

4. When the water is boiling, season it with salt and add in the fresh pasta. Cook according to pack instructions. Retain 125ml of the pasta water and add it to the sauce (the starch in the water will help the sauce stick to the pasta).

5. Strain the pasta and add it into the sauce. Toss to coat. Add in the spinach and stir until wilted. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add in the butter and toss until it's completed incorporated into the sauce.

6 Add the pasta to warmed bowls and top with Parmesan cheese. Eat right away.

*This pasta will keep up to four days in the fridge.