MINI SHELLS WITH CREAMY SMOKED BACON AND PEA SAUCE

10 slices smoked bacon or pancetta, preferably free-range or organic
small bunch of fresh mint (discard the stalks)
150g Parmesan cheese, finely grated (6 ounces)
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
optional: 1 chicken stock cube, preferably organic
400g dried mini shells or other type of pasta (1 pound)
olive oil
knob (pat) of butter
300g frozen peas (2 cups)
2 heaped dessert spoons crème fraîche (2 tablespoons crème fraîche or
 heavy cream)
1 lemon

To prepare your pasta:
-Finely slice the bacon
-Pick the mint leaves and discard the stalks
-Finely grate the Parmesan

To cook your pasta:
-Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and drop in the stock cube (if using)
-Stir until it’s dissolved, then add the mini shells and cook according to the packet instructions
-Get a large frying pan over a medium heat and add a good lug of olive oil and the butter
-Add the bacon to the pan, sprinkle a little pepper over and fry until golden and crisp
-Meanwhile, finely chop your mint leaves
-As soon as the bacon is golden, add your frozen peas and give the pan a good shake
-After a minute or so, add the crème fraîche and chopped mint to the bacon and peas
-Drain the pasta in a colander over a large bowl, reserving some of the cooking water
-Add the pasta to the frying pan
-Halve your lemon and squeeze the juice over the pasta
-When it’s all bubbling away nicely, remove from the heat
-The sauce should be creamy and delicious but if it’s too thick for you, add a splash of the reserved cooking water to thin it out a bit
-Add the grated Parmesan and give the pan a shake to mix it in

To serve your pasta:
-Divide your pasta between plates or bowls, or put it on the table in a large serving dish and let everyone help themselves
-Lovely with a simply dressed green salad

Oliver, Jamie. Mini shells with creamy smoked bacon and pea sauce. Jamie Oliver: Official Site for recipes, books, tv, restaurants and food revolution. 9 Jun 2011. http://www.jamieoliver.com/us/recipes/pasta-recipes/mini-shell-pasta-with-a-creamy-smoked-ba. 
Notes:
In the first batch, I tried to drain the bacon fat and used heavy cream as a substitute for the crème fraîche which another site suggested.  Overall, the first batch did not have enough liquid..
I was really hesitant to try it with mint; and unfortunately, the amount I used was not noticable.