My previous career as a track athlete had a really big impact on my love of food. I try to create recipes for dishes that I tasted when I was racing in other countries. This is my version of a pasta e piselli, or pasta and peas, a dish I tried in Italy.
These days I do far less fast running but life is busy in other ways. Home is hectic, I’m mum to three-year-old Archie and seven-year-old Dafne, so my days consist of juggling school drops, work and activities and then getting dinner on the table.
One of the main ways I try to keep on top of meal times is by using my freezer. Keeping it well stocked is a great healthy habit and it saves on spending, plus helps reduce food waste. I try to batch cook and freeze some dinners, and I always have frozen fruit and vegetables, like the peas in this recipe, and meat or fish. Pasta e piselli puts peas front and centre, exactly where they should be. This is a real family favourite in my house and one that we make regularly.
Recipe: Derval O’Rourke’s pasta e piselli
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Derval O’Rourke is a three time Olympian who runs her own online well-being community at derval.ie
