creamy pea pasta (pasta risottata con piselli, aka, mac n' peas)

Peas. They are good for us. But we don't choose them often. Why is that. Perfect little balls of nutrition, always available as frozen veggies which they say are actually good for us since the quick freezing preserves the good stuff. My younger brother Don hates them. One of those stupid food prejudices people seem to have. With Ani it is rosemary. With donato it is onion and garlic. He is suspicious all the time and always asks to make sure neither one is hidden in the dish. Claes hates pasta and rice, so during his visits last century our main food experience was off limits. When Don was a little kid, my mom served peas at dinner. He refused to eat them. My mom insisted. He remained at the table alone facing those peas stubbornly until ... well, after over 6 decades the details are no longer so clear. My mom just never served him peas again. Lots of drama.

So this random post in our (Ani is my silent viewing partner) Facebook feed grabs our attention (okay, my attention) with superlatives by another food blogger/poster/whatever they call them now with TikTok, Instagram, YouTube TV, cookbooks, etc. The plug: "The Pasta Queen's "Lazy Princess Pasta" Is a Total Game-Changer (I Can't Recommend It Enough)". Seems like a pretty positive endorsement from a fellow competitor in the food propaganda industry. The photo was also premium food porn which helped.

So we'd never heard of the Pasta Princess but her light hearted food video with cute Italenglish and comic hubbie (?) kitchen "assistant" is endearing, even if you know you will never implement the game plan, although bob has hopes of trying it soon. This is a wierd combination of a risotto-like process joined to a carbonara finish, both of which appeal to our food proclivities (hmm, that's a big word, better check that it exists). Mac n' peas is her summarizing name for this green version of the orange comfort food.

Eyeing a package of frozen twice peeled fava beans in our freezer, bob has the dream of trying this out by substituting the peas by those legumes with more Middle Eastern flavor as well as Italian, since fava beans are much more prominent in Italian cuisine as well. In addition to peas of course. Often paired with pancetta in a side dish, but also as piselli e pancetta pasta.

ingredients

1 lb ditalini or tubetti pasta

1 lb fresh or frozen peas

1 medium white onion, chopped

2-3 T extra virgin olive oil

1/2 c finely grated parmesan and/or pecorino Romano cheese

1 egg (optional, for extra creaminess)

salt and "a scrunch" of black pepper

boiling water (as needed)

diced pancetta (optional)

instructions

1. In a large pot or skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the diced onion and cook until softened and translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
2. Add the peas to the onions, season with a pinch of salt and a "scrunch" of pepper. Cook for a few minutes.
3. For a creamier texture, transfer three-fourths of the pea mixture to a blender with a little water and blend until smooth, then pour it back into the pot.
4. Add the dry pasta directly to the pot with the peas. Cover with boiling water (or broth) until it covers the mixture. Cook until the pasta is al dente, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.
5. As the pasta absorbs the liquid, add more boiling water/broth as needed to maintain a creamy, slightly soupy consistency (like risotto).
6. Once the pasta is cooked, turn off the heat. Whisk the egg and cheese together, then pour into the pasta, stirring vigorously to create a creamy sauce without scrambling the egg.
7. Serve topped with extra grated cheese, black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil.
8. Notice that the AI recipe forgot the optional pancetta which often accompanies peas as a simple side dish in Italy. You can do them with the onion step.

notes

1. Jesse from theKitchen blog gives an enthusiastic step by step description but no printed recipe: "Lazy Princeess Pasta."
2. The Pasta Princess YouTube fun video:  "Pasta & Peas, Classic Italian Recipe."
3. Nadia Caterino Munro is the Pasta Princess: Google search. Born and raised in Rome in a pasta family from Campagnia (region of Napoli).
4. Getting the text recipe required resorting to Google AI since none of the above links give details.
5. Pasta risottata is a technique we had never heard of, so this gives us more reason to follow this lady, given our love of risotto. But our email is out of control, and our Facebook feed overflowing with stuff we never asked for let alone followed sites. What to do?
6. Pasta piselli e pancetta Google search.
7. Double peeled fava beans! Google search. AI Description.
8. My bro Don has a muscle car website. No peas allowed.
9. Illustrations available (soon we hope).