Green beans in tomato sauce (Fagiolini al pomodoro)

1. Trim both ends of the green beans, snap the longer ones in half, then blanch in boiling salted water for 5 minutes and plunge into iced water to cool; drain.

2. Finely chop the onion and sweat it in the olive oil in a saucepan for 5 minutes until translucent, then add the crushed garlic and fry for 1 minute.

3. Add the tomatoes crushed by hand, season with salt and simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Add the green beans, cover and simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes until tender but not falling apart; if the sauce gets too thick, add a splash of water.

5. Finally stir in the torn basil leaves and season with salt.

6. Serve hot or warm alongside roast meat.

Tip: Blanching and the iced water keep the beans bright green; they're lovely warm too, and the flavours come together even better the next day.