Summer Pasta Recipe

Summer has finally made its appearance in Italy, yesterday it was the first pretty hot day we had and we're longing for moderately hot days! Last year we suffered the hottest summer in centuries and I still remember going to Belgium in August hopeing for some rain and chilly temperatures, but this year it's been the other way round. We still get whole days of heavy rains and temperatures have never gone higher than 32°C, that's an ok weather, if only it lasted a few days in a row! Hopefully this second half of July and the whole of August will bring us some real summer weather, Italian-style.

Anyway, yesterday we were blessed with a hot and sunny day and I celebrated the event with a summer recipe for pasta. It's easy and cheap and fast to make, and I want to share it on the blog.

Ingredients (serves 2 at 1,48€):

150 gr of short pasta (whatever shape you like best. I had some of this pasta spiral in the cupboard and went for it) [0,24€]
1 big carrot [0,12€]
100 gr of peas [0,39€]
80 gr of gruyère [0,50€]
20 gr of vegetal margarine [0,15€]
a small stick of celery [0,08€]

When using peas I usually go for frozen peas, because they are tender if compared to those that come in tins and cheaper than fresh ones. I cooked my peas for some 20 minutes with 20gr of vegetal margarine, some salt and pepper. If you like to add some onion to it, you can as well chop it in very thin slices and let it cook along with the peas.

Chop the celery and carrot and stear them with some oil in a pan for 10 minutes. The smaller the cubicles the less you need to stir them for.

Now the cheese. Cut it in small parts, again the smaller the parts the sooner it will melt when put in the pan with pasta.

It's time to cook pasta! Bring a pot of cold salted water to the boil and add pasta. Cook according to packet instructions.

Add the rest of the ingredients and stir untill the cheese has completely melted! Serve and eat 'till hot!

Enjoy your summer pasta dish!