Power Pasta of the Gods
- Cereals containing gluten
- Milk
- Egg
An impressive title for an equally impressive recipe! Legend has it that before battle Hercules would stride into his kitchen and whip up a plate of this pasta to fuel his heroics. Since it was practically ready in the time it takes to cook the pasta, it meant he never missed the start of battle and firmly secured his place in the history books. Admittedly it’s difficult to imagine the son of Zeus in a pinny, but you wouldn’t catch us making fun of him.
Ingredients
200
Wheat Spaghetti
(Contains: Cereals containing gluten)
2
Pine Nuts
½
Onion
2
Garlic Clove
½
Red Chilli
½
Flat Leaf Parsley
1
Peas
3.5
Creme Fraiche
(Contains: Milk)
2
Grated Hard Italian Style Cheese
(Contains: Milk, Egg)
½
Lemon
Utensils
Instructions
Put a large pot of water on to boil with ¼ tsp of salt. Once it comes to a rapid boil (i.e. lots of bubbles!) add the pasta and cook for 11 mins or until ‘al dente’, remembering to save some pasta water for your sauce in step 5. Tip:It’s ‘al dente’ once cooked through but with a tiny bit of firmness in the middle.
Put a frying pan on medium high heat without any oil. Once hot add the pine nuts and brown them off on all sides then remove. Tip: Watch your nuts like a hungry squirrel, as the moment you turn your back they’ll burn!
Peel and finely chop 1/4 of the onion and the garlic. Chop the chilli in half lengthways and remove the seeds (if you don’t like too much spice). Now finely chop the chilli and roughly chop the parsley. Tip:Don’t stick your finger in your eye after chopping chilli. #Ouch!
Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook for 5 mins or until soft. Add the garlic and chilli and cook for a further 2 mins. Tip: Only use a small amount of the chilli if you prefer your dishes mild.
Add the peas and 3 tbsp of the pasta water. Allow to bubble away for 5 mins or until the peas are cooked.
Stir through the crème fraîche, half the grated Italian cheese and the toasted pine nuts. Add salt to taste and a few good grinds of pepper. Finally add ½ tsp of lemon zest and a good squeeze of lemon juice.
Drain the pasta and add to the sauce, mix well and serve with the chopped parsley and remaining Italian cheese over the top.
