Quick and easy pasta tea, with a glass of wine this is perfect for an easy evening.
Prep: 5 min Cooking: 12 min
Ingredients
200g pasta (twists)
30g pine nuts
4 rashers smoked streak bacon chopped finely
75g spinach, well washed
100g sliced mushrooms (chestnut for preference)
1 garlic clove crushed/finely chopped
1 dstspn sour cream
parmesan, salt papper
optional – small know blue cheese
Method
- Put the pasta into boiling salted water, stir once to stop it sticking together.
- In a dry frying pan add the pine nuts and toast lightly. keep a close eye on them as they brown suddenly. reserve in a small dish.
- Return the pan to the heat, add olive oil and bacon and mushrooms, cooking until it starts to colour. If you’re using field mushrooms (the white ones) wait a minute before adding them as they give up water and stop the bacon frying.
- Next add the garlic, spinach and a pinch of salt. The spinach will give up liquid after a few seconds stopping the garlic cooking too fiercely – but this also stops the bacon browning any more. Depending on your tastes and the bacon it might not need salt – up to you.
- When the spinach has wilted turn the heat right down, and when the mix has cooled add the sour cream. If you’re adding the blue cheese do this now and stir through.
- Drain the pasta and add this and the pine nuts along with a grinding of black pepper -stirring it all through. You may want to add an extra drizzle of olive oil, both for the taste and to help the sauce and pasta come together
- Serve in big pasta bowls and grate parmesan and a bit more pepper on top.
- Pour some wine and enjoy!
Like I say a quick and easy pasta, you can substitute other greens for the spinach, using land cress or rocket you just cook it the same., depends what’s available in the garden.