Easy Bacon and Pea Pasta Sauce

This sauce is fast, easy and tastes lovely. The peas taste really fresh against the saltiness of the cheese and bacon. Courgettes would also be good here. Just slice and fry them up with the onions.

Ingredients (for 4 people)

A pack of back bacon (smoked or unsmoked, you choose)

A large onion

Olive oil for frying

A large handful of frozen peas

200 gram tub of creme fraiche (full fat is better to cook with)

Chunk of parmesan cheese to grate on top

Black pepper

and whatever type of pasta you want to serve it with

Equipment

Knife for chopping

Frying pan

Large pan for boiling pasta

Scissors for cutting bacon

Wooden spoon

Collander for draining pasta

Cheese grater

What to do

1. Put pan of water on stove to boil for the pasta. (About three quarters full, enough to easily cover the pasta when you put it in. It will come to the boil quicker if you put a lid on the pan.)

2. Peel and chop the onion. Try and chop it into small even pieces if you can.

3. Using scissors, snip the bacon into slices about half a centimetre thick. Again they don’t have to be perfect.

3. Heat the olive oil in the frying pan. Then add the chopped onion. You need to cook the onion until it starts to become soft and you see through it. If you are using sliced courgettes, add these after the onions have cooked for a few minutes.

4. Check the pasta water. If its bubbling, add the pasta. It needs to cook for about 10 minutes, but check the packet for the precise time.

5. Add bacon to the frying pan. Cook for a few minutes, then add the frozen peas. Keep cooking on a gentle heat until the bacon is cooked but not crispy, and the peas are heated through. (Just taste them.)

6. When the pasta is cooked, drain it in the collander and put it back in the pan to keep warm. (But don’t put the pan back on the heat). If you want, you drrizzle a bit of olive oil over it and add some black pepper for a really professional touch.

7. Turn the heat under the frying pan to low, and add the creme fraiche to the bacon and pea mixture. It should go a lovely light golden colour as it mixes in with the onion and bacon. You only need to gently heat the creme fraiche through.

8. Stir the sauce into the pasta and divide between 4 dishes. Grate parmesan cheese and black pepper over the top and serve to your guests (or your mum!).

---