Cheesy Pea Pasta

This week's challenge  in IHCC is Pantry Suppers ,  to cook something  using pantry ingredients and create any recipe of Hugh  Fearnley Whittingstall  .  I  found this really delicious recipe in the River Cottage series, where he makes a  pasta sauce using peas and cheese.
Frozen peas is a  constant staple in my freezer and as well as chedder cheese and of course pasta is constant store cupboard resident as well.  Especially penne.  The only additional ingredient I used was Luncheon meat, something like a canned salami, or resembles what sometimes shown on tv to Spam. The boys loved it and I am pretty sure I will be making it  often. I didn't have any basil so used mint .

Recipe : Cheesy Pea Pasta  adaptation of Hugh's Macaroni Peas recipe from River Cottage Food tube

250g  penne or any short pasta
50g butter
2 cloves garlic
300g frozen peas
a few slices beef luncheon meat  or a couple of sausages (optional) , browned and sliced  or chopped
1/4 cup water
70g   chedder cheese grated
a handfull of mint leaves

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water till al dente', during the last 10  minutes add the peas and cook it along with the  pasta.  Remove  about 1/2 cup of the cooked peas.   Drain the rest of the peas with the pasta. Reserve a 1/4 cup of the liquid.

Place the  removed 1/2 cup peas into a blender or food processor.  Heat the butter in a  large frying pan , add the garlic and cook over a medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Remove and pour this into peas in the blender/processor.  Add the mint , a pinch of salt a generous pinch of ground black pepper and a table spoon or two of water and blend to a smooth puree.

Heat the frying pan again, brown the luncheon meat or sausages if you havent already , remove and chop it up and set aside.

In to the same frying pan add the pureed pea mixture , and 1/4 cup of water and bring to a simmer add the cheese and stir to melt the cheese. Taste adjust salt.

Add the luncheon meat, remaining peas and cooked pasta and stir to combine with the sauce ,it the sauce is too dry add a little of the pasta cooking water   to loosen the sauce.

Enjoy!