Pea pasta ~ Ham Pie Sandwiches

19 May 2011

Pea pasta

I can't stop eating the spring peas, you guys. It's a good thing I don't have to.

Pea pasta

fresh peas!
garlic
veg broth
salt, pepper
cheese or other dairy business
immersion blender
lemon wedge to squeeze
pasta of your choice

Saute chopped garlic in olive oil until it begins to soften. Add plenty of shelled peas and cover with a couple cups of vegetable broth; salt and pepper. Simmer gently until the peas are cooked through and everything smells fantastic.

Now bust out your immersion blender and blend that sauce. You may need to add some more liquid to do this, depending on how much broth has evaporated off. You may also need to cook the sauce down if it's too watery. Ah, the vagaries of cooking.

John wanted to blend parmesan into the peas, so we did. This was not the best plan, however, because grating cheeses melt in a sticky and stretchy manner. I strongly prefer a cream/goat/cottage cheese approach. Or ricotta. Or, you know, just use cream. Cream is good.

Eat with plenty of delicious pasta and a lemon wedge squeezed over your plate. Maybe even get some zest in there. Massive amounts of fresh black pepper are also great.

I had mine with a chunk of cream cheese buried in the middle and left to melt for a minute or two. An optimal plan.

2 comments:

jessy said...

brilliant, Eileen! just brilliant! i often times put whole peas in my mac 'n cheeze, but i never thought to add it to a pasta dish like this. i think i'll use a little soy cream in mine - thanks for the suggestion. there will be fresh peas at our farmer's market tomorrow and i know what i'll be making with them. mmmmmmm!

Eileen said...

You know, I bet that soaked cashews/nut cream would work well here too. Maybe it would even push it in a more pea pesto direction! Oh man! I have to go experiment now. You're welcome, & thank you for the inspiration as well!