Prep Time:  5 minutes        |        Cook Time:  15 minutes        |        Serves:  4

Ingredients

• 200g Berg speck, diced  
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 tsp Stonemill minced garlic
• 1 tbsp Pure Valley butter  
• Handful of cherry tomatoes
• 1L Chefs’ Cupboard chicken stock
• 500g Armando linguine
• Stonemill salt and black pepper to taste
• 225g block Westacre cream cheese
• 1 cup parsley leaves

Method

1. Remove the skin of the speck and dice it into little cubes.  
2. In a high sided frying pan, add the butter to melt at a medium heat. Add the speck and let it cook till it's nice and brown.
3. While the speck is cooking, chop the onions and add it to the frying pan and give it a good mix.
4. Add the garlic and give it a good mix. Cook the garlic off for about 30 seconds and add whole cherry tomatoes. Keep sautéing until tomatoes begin to blister.
5. Pour in the chicken stock and give it a good stir to scrape off all the brown bits from the pan.  
6. Bring it to the boil then add in the dried pasta, bring it to a boil and then reduce it to medium heat. Cook it for 8-10 minutes until the pasta has almost softened and the stock has reduced by at least half – this will happen at the same time.  
7. Add the block of cream cheese continuing to stir until it has fully melted through. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
8. Sauce should be a silky-smooth thick consistency, and the pasta cooked through
9. Plate up for 4-5 people to enjoy. Finish it off with a sprinkle of chopped parsley leaves.

Recipe:  Courtesy of Steph de Sousa – The Frugal Foodie