Lemon Goat Cheese Pasta

Lemon Goat Cheese Pasta

1 box/lb spiral pasta (we like Barilla Plus)
1/2 cup frozen corn and/or peas
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp ground lemon peel
2 tsp dried chives
1 log (5-6 oz) goat cheese
Fresh lemon juice, pepper and salt to taste

1. Cook pasta according to directions in salted water. With 4-5 minutes remaining, add corn and finish cooking.
2. Drain, but reserve 1 cup of the cooking water.
3. In a separate bowl, combine olive oil, lemon peel, chives and goat cheese. Break up cheese and mix.
4. Add hot pasta/corn to cheese mixture. Stir until combined, adding cooking water as necessary to give a smooth texture.
5. Add salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.

Notes: This will make about 4 servings. It can be cut in half to feed 2. The original recipe calls for tarragon (which I didn't have, but will buy for next time), but I used chives instead and it turned out well. Basil, rosemary or anise would also work well. The original recipe also called for asparagus, which is a no-no in the Smith house; hence, the corn and peas. Next time I might try it with wrinkled string beans. The lemon made this a very refreshing dish - fresh zest is a must! It's incredibly easy and doesn't require many ingredients.

Recipe Origination: Shannon Downey sent me this one, as we're both goat cheese lovers