Italian
10 Minute Kitchen
From
10 Minute Kitchen
season
3
episode
3
Spaghetti with peas and bacon
Alastair McLeod's spaghetti with a blitzed pea sauce, mint and salty bacon.
PREP
0
MINS
Cook
0
MINS
SERVES
250
About this recipe
Alastair McLeod's spaghetti tossed through bright green peas blitzed into a fresh sauce, with garlic, mint and a salty hit of D'Orsogna streaky bacon. The kind of pasta that comes together in the time it takes to boil the water.
Blitzing half the peas into a sauce and leaving the other half whole is the trick. The puree (blanched peas, garlic, mint, a splash of pasta water, olive oil) coats every strand of spaghetti in a green, herbaceous slick; the whole peas left through give bite and visual texture. The mint sits inside the puree rather than as a garnish, which is the difference between English garden peas and Italian piselli.
The bacon goes in early and renders its fat hard into the pan before the diced onion sweats down on top. The rendered fat is the second layer of seasoning that the puree on its own can't deliver; without it the dish reads as a baby-food sauce rather than a proper pasta plate.
Frozen peas are right here, not fresh. Frozen peas are blanched before freezing, which sets the sugars; fresh peas (unless they're hours-from-the-pod) have already converted half their sugar to starch. Grated parmesan over the top, black pepper, a glass of cold Vermentino.
Ingredients
- 180g + 325g frozen peas
- 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 bunch mint, leaves picked
- 125ml water
- 1 x 400g bag spaghetti
- Salt
- 480g D’orsogna rindless streaky bacon, diced???? Need to change to another one.
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 100ml thickened cream
- 100g parmesan, finely grated
- ½ lemon
- Freshly milled pepper
- ___________________________________________________________________
Method
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.
2. Toss in 180g of the peas and cook for 2 minutes, then use a slotted spoon to transfer to handblender.
3. Add 2 cloves of the garlic, half the mint and the water.
4. Blend in Braun handblender on high speed to a smooth puree.
5. Set aside.
6. Cook pasta in the same pot for 1-2 minutes less than the package instructions. (6 minutes) Reserve 250ml of the pasta water when draining and reserve both pasta and pasta water.
7. While the pasta is boiling, cook the D’orsonga bacon (3 rashers) (cut into chunky slices) in a large heavy based fry pan over medium to medium-high heat until it is crispy, and the fat rendered.
8. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon and drain it on a plate lined with paper towels. (Could this be done using a Chux?).
9. Set the pan back over medium heat.
10. Cook the onion in the rendered bacon fat until it is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add salt
11. Add the remaining garlic and cook for 1 minute more then add the frozen peas, cook until they thaw then stir in the cream.
12. Bring to a simmer and stir in half of the grated parmesan cheese.
13. Return bacon?? to the sauce and add the cooked pasta.
14. Gently toss to combine.
15. Stir in the pea puree and as much of the reserved pasta water to thin the sauce.
16. Spritz with lemon and scatter with any remaining parmesan and mint.
17. Season with additional salt and plenty of freshly cracked black pepper.
18. Add pasta to the sauce in the pan and toss.
19. Plate the dish and finish with a spritz of lemon and parmesan. Add any remaining mint.
20. ___________________________________________________________________
21. MT Production Notes:
22. Timing: 18:52.25
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