Pasta with a Spanish twist: Manchego cheese or Serrano ham

Pasta with a Spanish Twist

After a long day at work this is a very simple dish to make and a great way of adding a Spanish twist to your evening meal. I absolutely love both Manchego cheese and Serrano ham so will often add both to my bowl.

Serves: 1 vegetarian, 1 meat-eater

Orecchiette (little ears) pasta (Approx 100g per person)

2 handfuls spinach, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 red chili, de-seeded and chopped

Handful pine nuts

¼ juice of lemon

Sea salt and black pepper

Olive oil

V: Shavings of Manchego cheese

M: Slice or two of Serrano ham, torn into strips

Boil the pasta in lots of salted water until al dente (approx 1o minutes). Drain.

Meanwhile, dry pan fry the pine nuts for a few minutes, until golden brown and set aside.

In a separate frying pan, fry the garlic and chili in a glug of olive oil for one minute. Stir in the spinach until it starts to wilt, then season.

Add the drained pasta to the pan, squeeze over the lemon, fold in the pine nuts and mix the ingredients together. Include extra olive oil, sat and black pepper if necessary.

V: Serve with a sprinkle of Manchego cheese

M: Serve with torn Serrano ham