Lumaconi ripieni (stuffed lumaconi)

For ➍
20 lumaconi or other large pasta shells
300 g spinach (fresh or frozen)
250 g ricotta
1 clove garlic
1 red onion
10 cherry tomatoes
2 hand fulls toasted pine nuts
grated Parmigiano cheese to taste
bunch fresh basil
salt & pepper
olive oil

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Grease a baking dish with olive oil.
Cook the pasta shells in large generous amounts of water until al dente (half of the cooking time).
Chop the onion and garlic. Heat a little oil and fry the onion and garlic. Add the spinach and make it shrink. Stir in the ricotta. Add salt and pepper.
Divide the pasta shells on baking dish and fill them with the mixture. Put the tomatoes in between the shells and sprinkle with Parmigiano cheese.
Place the dish, covered with aluminum foil, for 20 m in the oven. Remove the foil and put the dish back in the oven for 10 m.
Meanwhile, grate some Parmigiano cheese and toast the pine nuts.
Serve the pasta serve with some extra cheese, pine nuts and fresh basil.

Lumaconi with olives, tomatoes & green herbs

For ➍
500 g lumaconi (or other large pasta shells)
6 cloves garlic
1 red pepper
120 g olives with almond stuffing
3-4 tbs honey
a dash of balsamico
a dash of white wine
4 tomatoes
green herbs (basil, parsley, coriander, oregano)
butter
olive oil
black pepper & coarse salt

Crush the garlic cloves and chop finely.
Remove the seed list from the red pepper and chop finely.
Cut the stuffed olives into pieces. Stew together over low heat in butter and olive oil and simmer for 15 m.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta water. Dip the tomatoes briefly in boiling water and peel them. Add the pasta to salted boiling water. Cut the tomatoes into thick slices, remove the seeds and cut only the meat into cubes.
Put the olive mixture, honey, white wine and balsamico on fire. Quietly reduce until the alcohol has evaporated. Taste the sauce and garnish with black pepper and coarse salt
Chop a hefty amount of green herbs coarsely. Add spices only at the end to the sauce.
Drain the pasta and mix the sauce underneath.
Pour out the pasta in a dish and spread it over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with some coarse salt.