2244. PAPPARDELLE with BACON HOCK, PEAS and SPINACH

serves two


1 onion
1 bacon hock
½ cup chicken stock
1 cup frozen peas
2 cups baby spinach leaves
2 sheets fresh lasagna
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 rashers bacon

Peel onion and cut into quarters. Place onion and bacon hock in a saucepan and cover with water. Simmer for one hour, replenishing water to keep the hock covered. Drain, reserving one cup of cooking liquid. Cut skin from hock and discard. Remove meat from bone. Chop meat roughly. Bring reserved cooking liquid and chicken stock to the boil. Add peas and cook for five minutes. Add spinach and cook a further minute. Cut pasta sheets into 4cm wide, long ribbon lengths. Cook pasta in a saucepan of boiling, salted water for eight minutes. Drain and drizzle with oil. Return pasta to saucepan with pea mixture and bacon hock pieces. Mix to combine. Grill bacon. Remove rind and cut bacon into 4cm pieces. Serve pasta mixture in bowls with crisp bacon pieces.


bacon recipe courtesy of: New Zealand Woman's Weekly, PO Box 90119, Victoria Street West, Auckland 1142, New Zealand