Fresh egg pasta is traditionally served in the north of Italy with butter, cream and rich meat sauces, whereas dried pasta is more at home with the tomato- and olive oil-based ones of the south.

Sweet potatoes are ideal for lazy days: just bake, then mash and mix with yogurt, butter or olive oil.

Tomato sauce works best with dried pasta, because the tomato sauces tend to be too heavy for the fresh pasta. Fresh pastas tend to absorb sauce right away. Fresh pastas always work better with broths or lighter sauces.

The combination of olive oil, garlic and lemon juice lifts the spirits in winter.

Greek yogurt with some olive oil stirred in can transform many dishes.

There's nothing more marvelously wintery than orange root veg mash; some butter is all it needs.