Creamy Pea and Mint Spaghetti

I've been meaning to tell you about this creamy pea, mint and cilantro spaghetti with chili for a while now. Over a month to be exact.  But I was so excited about my holiday and then these juicy grilled chops that I completely forgot. So let's rewind a month or so.

It all began with a slight cough one morning, an extra yawn on the drive to school. I didn't think much of it. It was the last day of the week and we were all tired.

But then I got that dreaded phone call from the nursery. My heart always skips a beat when I get a call from there. I just knew something was wrong. 'Maryam has a fever of 38.5, can we give her Calpol?' asked her nursery nurse. On my way to pick her up, I thought back to the morning and that tired faraway look in her eyes.

Things went from bad to worse as her fever peaked to nearly 41. Akber took her to emergency at 4 am. It was a rough night. We all lay in on Friday including Hassan. He probably knew I just didn't have the energy after being awake round the clock the night before.

For once though, I woke before Maryam did. Usually, she tip toes into my room and wakes me up with the biggest smile but the fever had hit her hard. As she rested, I took the opportunity to make one of her favorite meals. Isn't that what Moms do when their loved ones are ill?

Pasta has always been a household favorite of everyone's including her. We have a myriad different ways we eat them as I've mentioned before. I decided to add a few other ingredients she loves such as peas and parmesan cheese. I knew it would be polished off in no time. Bar the mint that is, which she detests. Or 'seaweed' as she calls it. However, I did add that and chopped red chili for extra flavor on our plates.

It was quite a sight to see the 'process' of her dissecting this meal. She first searched for the hidden shelled peas in the spaghetti and cream maze. Pop into her mouth, one by one. Then came the snap peas followed by its sturdier cousin, the sugar snap variety. Like a game. Meals are always more fun that way right.

Creamy Pea and Mint Spaghetti

Ingredients:500 gms spaghetti (or enough for four servings)
1 cup shelled peas
1/4 cup sugar snap peas
1/4 cup snow peas
3 tbs olive oil
1 onion, chopped finely
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 cups single cream
1 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated parmesan plus extra to serve
2 tbs cilantro, chopped
2 tbs mint, chopped
1 red chili, chopped

Directions:

Boil spaghetti according to instructions till al dente and drain. In salted boiling water, blanch the peas for 2 minutes. Drain and wash with cold waater to stop the cooking process. In a pan, heat olive oil and add the onion and garlic and saute till onions are translucent. Add the cream, red pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and add the parmesan. Stir in the cooked spaghetti, blanched peas and chopped herbs. If the sauce appears thick, you can thin it down with water. Garnish with extra parmesan and chopped chili.