Summer pasta with peas, bacon and lemon

Well, you probably noticed that although this blog is called "cristina bakes" there is not a lot of baking going on. Well, I really love baking but eating a cake in two, every week, is not such a good idea.

Nevertheless, if I don't bake, I at least love to eat and am always cooking something new. 

After our trip to Italy this spring, I came back with the idea that I have to cook pasta with lemons as there were big fat lemons everywhere. In contrast to the abundance of lemons we found in Italy, I still remember my grandma, trying to keep her lemon tree alive, planting it in summer in the garden and moving it in winter to a pot in the house. And this lemon tree was very thin and small, with two or three sprigs and sometimes like a miracle we had a lemon or two.

I first thought that I won't like pasta with lemon in it, but after trying some recipes it really grew on me.

This is my favourite pasta with lemons recipe until now. Let's see what the future brings...

Servings: 2
Difficulty: easy
Preparation time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 5 slices bacon, cut into small cubes
• fresh pepper
• 225 g pasta
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 cup frozen peas (just use a normal 250 ml coffee cup)
• 1 tbsp creme fraiche
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 85 g parmesan, grated

Method:

• Place a large skillet over medium heat and add the oil and butter
• Add bacon and pepper and fry until golden and crisp
• Add frozen peas and stir for a minute or two
• Add creme fraiche and chopped mint, mix.
• Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water.
• Add lemon juice to the pan with the bacon and peas.
• Bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat.
• Add parmesan and stir to mix.
• If the sauce is too thick, add some pasta water.