Smoked Bacon, Blue Cheese and Pineapple Pasta

Ingredients

• 500g/18oz penne
• 225/8oz smoked bacon
• 110g/4oz mangetout, cut into narrow strips
• 50g/2oz baby spinach leaves, shredded
• 200g/7oz can of pineapple
• 50g/2oz flaked almonds, toasted, plus a few extra to garnish
• 110g/4oz Cashel Blue or other blue cheese, crumbled
• 110g/4oz Greek-style yoghurt
• 110g/4oz mayonnaise
• chopped fresh chives, to garnish

Method

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until tender, then drain.  Cut the bacon into bite-sized pieces and fry in a dry frying pan until very crisp, then drain on kitchen paper and set aside.

Place the pasta, bacon, managetout, spinach, pineapple pieces (reserving the juice) and almonds in a bowl.  Blend together the blue cheese, yoghurt, mayonnaise and the juice from the canned pineapple to make a dressing.

Toss the pasta with the dressing and season, but be cautious with the salt, the bacon may be salty enough.  Garnish with some chopped chives and a few toasted flaked almonds.