People spend so much money on takeaway when you can actually do it yourself. Tomatoes, I can do in five minutes, I do a beautiful sauce. Cook them with a little bit of olive oil, a crush of garlic, a little bit of chilli, a little bit of water, boil the pasta at the same time, throw in the starch - if you've got some breadcrumbs, throw them on top." Gennaro Contaldo puts a bowl of penne in front of me. “Eat! Enjoy it!” he says. It’s 10am, but you don’t turn down pasta at an Italian chef’s house – no matter what time it is. In the meantime, prepare the filling. Squeeze any excess liquid from your defrosted spinach (the drier this is, the better). Finely chop the spinach and combine it with the ricotta, grated Parmesan and a little salt and pepper. Set aside.

The 74-year-old says he throws nothing away. And not only for environmental reasons. In a cost of living crisis, throwing any food away is literally money in the bin. Knowing what you can do with leftovers is the key to cutting your food bill, Contaldo believes. In 2011 he toured the Italian regions alongside Antonio Carluccio in a four-part series for the BBC, "The Two Greedy Italians". This was followed up by a second series which aired in 2012, "The Two Greedy Italians: Still Hungry". Cucina povera’ is a simple philosophy – turn delicious affordable ingredients into hearty nourishing feasts. In this inspirational cookbook, Gennaro takes you on a culinary journey of regional basic Italian staples and turns them into beautiful meals. With tips and ideas of what to do with leftovers, Gennaro helps home cooks turn humble ingredients into nourishing feasts without taste sacrifice. Born in Minori on the Amalfi Coast, Gennaro’s quintessentially Italian spirit and positive nature has made him a TV favourite. He regularly appears on Saturday Kitchen as well as his own TV show, the highly successful Two Greedy Italians, BBC2.

In his new cookbook, Gennaro takes us on a culinary journey of regional basic Italian staples and turns them into beautiful meals. With tips and ideas of what to do with leftovers, Gennaro helps home cooks squeeze maximum use from the ‘cucina povera’ ethos, turning humble ingredients into nourishing feasts without taste sacrifice.

And not only for environmental reasons. In a cost-of-living crisis, throwing any food away is literally money in the bin. Knowing what you can do with leftovers is the key to cutting your food bill, Contaldo believes.Please read these Terms and Conditions carefully before entering the competition. By entering you indicate that you accept these terms and conditions, and you agree to be bound by them. d. The Promoter reserves the right to hold void, suspend, cancel, or amend the prize competition where it becomes necessary to do so. a. The Promoter reserves the right to amend the competition in exceptional circumstances. All entrants agree to abide by these terms and conditions and the Promoter reserves the right to exclude entrants for any breach of these terms and conditions. The Promoter’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered in to. a. The prize on offer is one (1) x signed copy of CUCINA and one (1) x Gourmet Italian Hamper. There are three (3) prizes to be won.