RESTAURATEUR Nico Ricioppo always knew his recipe for pasta dish Penne Zia Caterina was bellisimo.

He was content to accept the quiet plaudits from visitors to Nico's in Langho, and leave it at that.

But when the praise began to mount up, he decided to enter the recipe in an international competition.

A panel of experts judging the Italian chef awards, run by food giants Barilla and a trade magazine, have given his dish an official commendation and the recipe will be published on-line on the Italian Restaurant Guide.

Nico's family emigrated to the UK in 1961 when he was a child and the tomato-based dish is an adaptation of a traditional one from Cosenza, the province in southern Italy where they lived.

He said: "The recipe is named after my auntie Caterina, who used to look after me when I was young and helped teach me to cook. It's a very simple dish but one of the most popular with customers in the restaurant."

The restaurant has been awarded a Golden Choice certificate or Cellzione Oro, which will take pride of place on the wall.

Recipe

Ingredients (for two)

Half a red pepper

Half a yellow pepper

One crushed clove of garlic

Three tablespoons of virgin olive oil

One tablespoon of chopped fresh basil

Eight to ten medium sized cherry tomatoes

Two tablespoons of diced sun dried tomatoes

One tablespoon of grated parmesan

Quarter of a pint of whipping cream

Salt and cracked pepper to taste

200g of penne pasta

Method:

Put a large pan of water on to boil, salted to taste. Meanwhile heat a large sautee pan, add olive oil, garlic, diced peppers and a pinch of cracked pepper, stir frequently and cook until garlic has gone golden brown.

Add chopped basil, cherry tomatoes and then salt to taste. Cook for five minutes or until tomatoes go mushy and remove from heat.

Drop the penne pasta into the now boiling water, cook, and drain. Once drained pour the pasta into the simmering sauce, turn the heat back on, add the sun dried tomatoes, cream, and sprinkle on the parmesan. Stir gently for two minutes allowing the cream to thicken.

Serve and garnish with fresh basil and parmesan shavings.