Pasta with Peas & Ham

📝 Ingredients

• 320 g dried short pasta (such as penne)
• 300 g frozen peas
• 240 g cooked ham (6 slices)
• 200 ml light single cream
• 40 g grated Parmesan
• 1 shallot
• 10 g unsalted butter
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Large saucepan
• Small frying pan
• Colander
• Mug
• Cutting board and knife

📖 Steps

1. Bring a large pan of water (about 3 litres) to the boil and salt it generously, with about 1 tbsp salt. Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the shallot, then cut the ham into 1 cm strips.
2. In a small frying pan over a low heat, melt the butter and sweat the shallot for 3 minutes, stirring, until soft and translucent, without letting it colour. Turn off the heat and set aside.
3. Tip the pasta into the boiling water and set a timer for the cooking time on the packet. Stir during the first minute to stop it sticking to the bottom of the pan.
4. Add the frozen peas straight to the pan 4 minutes before the pasta is done, without thawing them. The water will stop boiling for a moment: keep the heat high until it comes back to the boil.
5. Before draining, scoop out about 150 ml of the cooking water with a mug: its starch will help bind the sauce. Then drain the pasta and peas together in a colander.
6. Return the pasta and peas to the pan over a low heat. Add the shallot, cream, half the parmesan and 4 tbsp of the cooking water, then stir for 1 to 2 minutes until the sauce is hot and coats the pasta. Turn off the heat.
7. Add the strips of ham and season generously with pepper. If the sauce gets too thick, loosen it with a little cooking water. Taste before adding salt: the ham and parmesan are already salty.
8. Serve immediately on warm plates, sprinkled with the rest of the parmesan and a grind of black pepper. Don't wait: as the pasta cools, it soaks up all the sauce.