Fill and boil your kettle. Trim the ends off the courgettes and cut them into 1-2cm dice. Peel and finely grate or crush the garlic cloves.

Pour the hot water from the kettle into a large saucepan and bring back up to the boil. Add a good pinch of salt and the spaghetti. Simmer for 8-9 mins till the pasta is al dente (soft with a slight bite). Drain the spaghetti, catching a mugful of the cooking water under the colander or sieve (mind your fingers – or use a ladle to scoop some water into a mug before draining).

While the spaghetti is cooking, warm a large frying pan on a high heat for 1 min. When warm, pour in 1 tbsp olive oil and add the courgettes. Fry for 5 mins, stirring regularly till they've softened and are slightly golden at the edges.

Meanwhile, tip half the ricotta into a bowl. Finely grate in the zest from the lemon and squeeze in the juice from 1 half. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper, mix well and set to one side.

When the courgettes have cooked for 5 mins, add the crushed garlic to the pan. Fry together for 2 mins stirring regularly. Then turn the heat down to its lowest setting.

The spaghetti should be cooked now. Drain it if you haven't done so yet, reserving a little cooking water. Tip the spaghetti into the pan with the courgettes. Pour in the lemony ricotta mix and scatter in the olives. Toss everything together, trickling in a little of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce.

Taste and add more salt, pepper or lemon juice if you think it needs it. Serve the creamy spaghetti topped with torn basil leaves, a crack of black pepper and a wedge of lemon to squeeze over.