Easy Peas-y!

Here's a quick and delicious way to use fresh garden peas (petit pois, English peas, sweet peas...whatever you call 'em, I love 'em!)

Steam 1-1/2 cups (that's about 2 pounds/1 kg in the shell, shelled) fresh peas just until tender.

8 oz (200g) smoked bacon, cut into matchsticks (or 200g lardons)

1 medium shallot, minced
OR
2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup (200ml) cream (you could use half and half; it just won't be quite as thick)

1/4 cup creme fraiche or sour cream

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

fresh-ground black pepper.

Saute the bacon with the shallots or garlic until lightly browned in a large frying pan. Drain the fat.

Add the steamed peas and toss lightly to combine.

Pour the cream over the peas, and add the sour cream/creme fraiche. Reduce the heat and stir to combine. Stir in the grated Parmesan, and let cook for just a few minutes until thick and creamy (do be careful if you're using sour cream...it will break if it gets too hot, making your sauce lumpy...it will still be tasty, just not very pretty).

Toss with 8-10 oz (100-120grams) cooked pasta (penne, shells, farfalle...a small shape, rather than long strings, as you want the pasta to grab all the sauce it can!) Top with a few grinds of black pepper....dinner's on.

Don't add any salt -- the parmesan and the bacon have enough to share with the whole meal!

It's not low-calorie...but it's fast and delicious.