Serves 4
Preparation time 2 minutes
Cooking time 8–12 minutes
15 g (½ oz) unsalted butter
150 g (5 oz) shelled peas, defrosted if frozen
75 g (3 oz) ham, cut into strips
300 g (10 oz) crème fraîche large pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
500 g (1 lb) fresh spinach and ricotta or meat tortellini
40 g (1½ oz) Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, plus extra to serve
Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat until it begins to sizzle. Add the peas and ham and cook, stirring, for 3–4 minutes if using fresh peas, or just 1 minute if using defrosted frozen peas.
Stir in the crème fraîche, add the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and boil for 2 minutes until slightly thickened.
Cook the tortellini in a large saucepan of salted boiling water according to the packet instructions until it is al dente. Drain and toss into the creamy sauce with the Parmesan. Gently stir to combine and serve at once with a scattering of Parmesan.
For bacon & courgette tortellini, replace the ham with the same quantity of bacon strips, frying them for 4 minutes. Then add 200 g (7 oz) chopped courgette in place of the peas, and proceed as above.