Lemon sole with sweet-sour spring veg, and broccoli pasta: Yotam Ottolenghi’s Italian-inspired spring recipes

Agrodolce is a sticky, sweet-sour Italian sauce/condiment that’s often piled into meat or cheese sandwiches, or used as a topping for a whole range of dishes.

65ml olive oil1 brown onion, peeled and finely sliced (180g) Fine sea salt and black pepper100ml white-wine vinegar1 tsp caster sugar1 tbsp capers, drained 6 asparagus spears, stalks thinly sliced, tips left whole (100g) 4 artichoke hearts, from a tin or jar, drained and finely sliced (100g) 2 tbsp pine nuts2 skin-on lemon sole fillets, or 4 small sea bass fillets (300g) 60g peas(fresh or frozen and defrosted), lightly crushed 5g (2½ tbsp) roughly chopped mint leaves

Put the oil, onion and three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt in a large frying pan for which you have a lid, then set it on a medium-high heat.

Fine sea salt and black pepper300g dried orecchiette, or similar-sized pasta such as fusilli or conchigliette 90ml olive oil3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 6 anchovy fillets, drained and finely chopped, or 2-3 tbsp white miso paste, or to taste Zest and juice of ½ lemon1 tsp ground cumin370g jarred chickpeas, drained (there’s no need to rinse them, though) 1 tsp aleppo chilli powder200g Tenderstem broccoli, or similar, cut on the diagonal into 2½cm lengths 30g parmesan, or vegetarian alternative, finely grated

Scatter over 20g grated parmesan, return the pan to the heat and toss and stir vigorously for a minute, so the sauce emulsifies and coats the pasta.

Spoon into four shallow bowls, add a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch more aleppo chilli, if you like, top with the remaining parmesan and serve.