Pasta e Piselli (Pasta & Peas)
Pasta e piselli..what can I say….It is perfecto!!…..just so simple and good … It brings back warm memories of my mother as this was one of her favorite dishes to make for us…..Thank you for this beautiful recipe mom. Even my Irish son-in-law likes this pasta…can you believe it???…a true meat a potatoes kind of guy…loves grandma’s pasta and peas!!
I just prepared this for our February cooking class and they ate the entire 2 lbs of pasta and peas…it was delicious… This time I added some pancetta to the onions and peas …and mom….don’t get mad at me…but it is my husband’s request…he likes a little meat in everything.. Here is a picture of me serving the pasta during our cooking class last Saturday.
My mother’s way…and the way I learned as a child includes just 4 ingredients; Pasta, onion, peas, broth…We cook the ditalini pasta or small shells separately and then add to the broth.. In a separate pot, saute a little onion in some olive oil …then add the frozen or can peas and some water or chicken broth ( I prefer frozen peas)……simmer broth till peas are cooked…then add the cooked pasta to the broth and stir to combine…
Serve the pasta with a sprinkle some red pepper flakes and some cheese on top and you have a meal… It is a soupy pasta and one you have to eat with a spoon to slurp up all that goodness. It is one of those oldies but goodies…..hope you try it…
Here it is in the pot …ready for the crowd!! I used tiny shell pasta for this one… you can see the tiny bits of pancetta…it added a ton of more flavor to this dish..
and here it is with the tiny shell pasta ….so yummy..right?? wish you could taste it right now!
and here it is with the ditalini pasta…either pasta will be a hit!
- 1 Lb. ditalini pasta or small shells
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 onion minced
- 4 oz. minced pancetta ( optional)
- 1 lb frozen petite peas
- 4 cups chicken broth
- salt/pepper to taste
- red pepper flakes
- Freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- fresh chopped parsley ( optional)
- Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente- Drain and reserve one cup of pasta water. set aside..
- Heat oil in another large pot. Stir in minced onion and pancetta (optional). Saute till onion is soft and pancetta is lightly browned.
- Add frozen peas and broth and simmer mixture till peas are cooked. Adjust seasoning and add salt/pepper if necessary.
- When peas are tender, add the cooked pasta to the broth and stir to combine. The mixture should be soupy. add extra broth or reserved pasta water if mixture is too dry. May add the fresh chopped parsley to mixture now if you like.
- Serve in individual bowls and pass around the red pepper flakes and pecorino romano cheese
- Delicioso!! Buon Appetito
- Kathleen Barbato….3 Italian Sisters.
