CREAMY LINGUINE WITH PEAS, BACON AND FRESH HERBS

Serves 4

While I have never been that fond of peas, they really shine in this dish along with the bacon, the pasta, the Parmigiano-Reggiano and the fresh herbs. This is such a delicious creamy pasta dish that is so comforting and that I love cooking quite often as it requires minimal cooking time which is quite important, especially on a weeknight.

340 g/ 12 oz. linguine (or fettuccine)

1½ cups shelled fresh peas (alternatively, you can use frozen peas, thawed)

2 cups pouring cream

1 heaping tbsp fresh sage and thyme, chopped

6 slices bacon, cut into bite-size pieces

1½ cups finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cook the linguine in boiling salted water according to package directions until al dente.

Add peas about 3 minutes before pasta is done. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water and drain the pasta. Set aside.

In a small skillet, cook bacon for one minute or two. Remove from heat and reserve.

In a 12-inch skillet, cook cream, sage, thyme, salt and pepper, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium-low, add drained pasta, peas, cooked bacon and Parmigiano. Toss to combine and heat through. Add some of the cooking water to loosen the pasta, if necessary.

Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste and serve topped with more Parmigiano.