Rigatoni with Peas & Pancetta
Rigatoni con piselli e pancetta
This is a really easy pasta dish to make when you have nothing in the house but a few pantry ingredients – frozen peas are a staple and you can buy pancetta in a vacuum-sealed pack with a long fridge life to keep on hand for moments like these. Hopefully you have some little pots of herb in your garden or on the kitchen window sill.
A life saver when you are hungry with little energy to spare
Recipe
Serves 4
Ingredients
500g of rigatoni
2 tablespoons of butter
½ onion, finely chopped
100g of sliced pancetta
2 cups of frozen peas
1 cup of white wine
½ cup of thickened cream (optional)
1 cup of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
½ cup of fresh mint, roughly chopped
1 cup of parmesan cheese
Method
Boil the rigatoni in salted water according to the packet instructions. When the pasta is al dente, save 1 cup of the pasta water for later use, strain place pasta back in pot and set aside.
While the pasta is boiling, heat the butter and sautee the onion with the sliced pancetta in a frypan until the onions are opaque and the pancetta is crisp
Place the frozen peas in some boiling water in a small pot (or microwave) and cook for 2 minutes
Drain the peas and add to the frypan with onion and pancetta
Pour in the wine and cook for a further 2 minutes
Add the cream, if using, and stir
Now pour the sauce into the drained pasta with a little splash of the extra pasta water to help thicken the sauce
Finally, add the herbs and parmesan to bring it all together
Easy Peasy!!