Fridge raider pasta

One reason to have a fairly well stocked fridge is to be able to pull together a tasty last minute pasta dish when you fancy a non toast based meal. In fact, does anyone ever fancy a toast based meal? I've actually come to the conclusion that a toast based meal is probably the first sign that you're life is going a bit wrong.

I'm full of wisdom today it would seem.

Anyway, this pasta started with the discovery of lardons in the fridge. I got some pasta on the go, then the lardons in a pan. Then started raiding the fridge.

Spinach (what was left after my sister in law had made it her late night snack last night... no accounting for tastes), the remains of the goats cheese from last night's cheese board (love a bloody cheese board), last of the cream, parmesan (ALWAYS parmesan!) and lemon zest (one of the best ingredients in the world, in my opinion).

I wouldn't normally put a strong cheese like goats cheese into a pasta but it was there and I love it so I thought I'd give it a try. The result was punchy, creamy and really tasty. In retrospect I might have added a bit of garlic. I would have also considered replacing the lemon with a grate of nutmeg.

Goats cheese, bacon and spinach pasta

80g tagliatelli
small handful of lardon or chopped up fatty bacon
30g goats cheese
1.5 tbps cream
small handful of parmesan (plus extra for finishing)
big handful of fresh spinach
a few grates of lemon zest
salt and pepper

Put the pasta on to boil in salted water. Throw the lardons in a frying pan with a little bit of olive oil.

When the bacon is crispy add the cream, goats cheese and parmesan and heat gently until incorporated, then add the spinach, pasta and lemon zest with just enough cooking water to loosen the sauce. Toss to incorporate and season generously with pepper and a little salt. Finish with parmesan.