Conchiglie al Salmone e Piselli

Lately, if you were to stop by our house for a glass of wine and a bite to eat, you might wonder where you are. Is this still France? Because the food coming out of my little kitchen certainly doesn't look like French food...

It isn't.
For the last month or so I've been craving all things Italian.

Except for French cheese of course. But that goes without saying.


There has been a crazy amount of frittata, pasta, pizza and risotto cooking going on. Why these four Italian dishes in particular?

• we don't eat a lot of meat and they're delicious when made with fresh vegetables
• they're economical (unless you want to whip up something like this)
• they're easy to make
• they're perfect for using up little leftover bits of this and that

The most recent pasta concoction used up three quarters of a bag of conchiglie pasta, a handful of frozen baby peas, half a package of smoked salmon and a slug of cream.
Oh, and some fresh chèvre. Just a little reminder that we still live in la belle France.


Conchiglie al Salmone e Piselli (e formaggi caprini)
serves 4

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 shallots, finely chopped
• 1 cup frozen petit pois, defrosted
• 4 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon, chopped into 1/4 - inch pieces
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon whipping cream
• 4 ounces fresh chèvre
• 1 pound conchiglie (or farfalle)
• freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat the butter and olive oil together in a frying pan over medium heat and sautée the shallots until golden.
2. Add the peas and cook for 3 minutes.
3. Add the smoked salmon, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Turn down the heat to low, stir in the cream and the chèvre, and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in plenty of boiling, salted water until al dente, according to package directions.
   
6. Drain, reserving some of the pasta cooking water, and add the pasta to the sauce.
7. Stir well over low heat until the sauce has thickened slightly and the pasta is coated. Add a bit of the reserved water if necessary to create a rich, creamy sauce.
   
8. Serve immediately with more freshly ground pepper if necessary.

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