Pasta with Peas & Ham Hock

Serves 4-6

Time 2 hours + 30 minutes

Ingredients

Braised Ham hock

1 large Ham hock 

5 cloves garlic

1 knob ginger, peeled

1 brown onion, halved

2 sticks celery

2 carrots, halved

3 bay leaves

1 cinnamon quill

¼ cup white wine

1 tbsp peppercorns

Pasta 

500g large shells pasta 

1 red onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic 

Salt & pepper

400g hock

200ml stock from hock

500g peas

150g snow peas, slow

150g green beans, sliced 

150g broad beans, sliced 

50g broccolini 

1 bunch mint

1 bunch parsley

1 bunch garlic chives

100g butter

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

30g grated parmesan

Method

Add all of the ingredients for the ham hock to a large pot of water, bring it up to a boil and simmer the stock for 2 hours until the ham hock is cooked and tender. Skim the foam off occasionally during the cooking process. Cool in liquid. 

Once the ham has cooled, pull apart the flesh and set it aside for the pasta. 

Add pasta to a large pot of salted, boiling water, cook for a minute less than the packet instructions (the pasta will finish cooking in the sauce). 

Add onions, garlic and extra virgin olive oil to a hot pan over medium heat, saute for a few minutes before adding broad beans, peas, snow peas, green peas, broccolini and half the butter with a few ladles of the pasta water – this will help to cook the vegetables. Add a small pinch of salt and pepper. Add the ham hock into the pan with the reserved stock and warm through. Add the herbs with the remaining butter and the pasta, stir everything together and serve with parmesan cheese to serve.