Pasta With Green Pea Sauce & Lots of Pecorino
My eternal love for dried pasta will never dwindle, but my relationship with this pantry staple has changed over these past few weeks. As I’ve relied on pasta more and more during this pandemic, I’ve needed to dig deep into my cooking creativity to avoid boredom. My solution: Create pasta sauces that feature puréed vegetables—the results are silky, creamy, and deeply flavorful. Maybe you’ve already tried this with cauliflower, broccoli, or beets. Really, the options are endless when it comes to veggie sauces. A recent experiment with puréed fava beans yielded a sauce that tasted earthy and delicate, with small hints of lemon, mint, and roasted garlic. Of course, fresh favas can be tricky to track down. If you can get a hold of some, I highly recommend swapping them into this recipe (instead of 2 cups of blanched peas, just use 2 cups shucked fava beans). After favas, the next best thing might already be in your freezer: frozen peas. Reserving some of the pasta cooking water is all that’s needed to transform pea purée into a sauce that beautifully clings to the pasta. Finely grated Pecorino Romano will add additional creaminess and umami, but you could easily omit the cheese and serve a vegan pasta that tastes nearly as rich as any Alfredo sauce. If you don’t have peas, try making a purée out of sautéed fennel or even marinated artichoke hearts. And if you don’t have leeks, you can swap in anything from onions to shallots to scallions. This is a recipe that’s meant to be versatile—especially now, when grocery shopping is more difficult than it used to be. Use the recipe as a guideline rather than a contract, and if you end up making some delicious adjustments, leave a comment below and please tell us all about it.
Yield
4
Ingredients
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 cup frozen green peas
1/4 cup loosely packed mint leaves
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoon (or more) fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon (or more) kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 leeks
2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon chile flakes
Kosher salt
1 pound fusilli (or another short dried pasta shape)
1/3 cup coarsely chopped mint leaves, plus more for serving
1 cup finely grated Pecorino, plus more for serving
Instructions
Step 1
In a small pot over medium-low heat, cook the oil and garlic, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the garlic just begins to caramelize. Remove the pot from the heat.
Step 2
Meanwhile, set a large pot of water over high heat. When the water is boiling, add the peas and cook for 2 minutes, then use a slotted spoon to transfer to a blender (we’ll use that water to cook the pasta in just a bit).
Step 3
To the blender, add the garlic and oil, mint, water, lemon juice, and salt; season with black pepper. Blend on high speed until a smooth purée forms. Taste and adjust with salt and lemon juice as needed.
Step 4
<strong>Do Ahead:</strong> The purée, without the lemon juice, can be made 3 days ahead. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Add the lemon juice the day you're going to serve.
Step 5
To prepare the leeks, remove the tough, dark green outer layers. Halve each leek lengthwise, keeping the root end intact. Rinse the leeks under cold running water, carefully removing all of the dirt and grit from the layers. Slice into half-moons about ½ inch wide; discard the root.
Step 6
Bring the water used to cook the peas back to a boil. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, cook the leeks, oil, chili flakes, and ¼ teaspoon of the salt, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes, until the leeks are soft and just beginning to caramelize.
Step 7
When the water is rapidly boiling, season with salt until the water tastes pleasantly salty, then cook the fusilli for 1 minute less than the package directions. Drain, reserving ½ cup of the pasta cooking liquid.
Step 8
Add the pasta and the reserved pasta cooking liquid to the skillet with the leeks and toss to combine. (If you feel like your skillet isn’t big enough for all that pasta, just transfer back to the pasta pot.)
Step 9
Add the pea purée and ⅓ cup of the mint to the pasta and heat over medium. Stir until the pasta is fully coated with the sauce, then add 1 cup of the Pecorino. Stir until the sauce is warm and clings to the fusilli. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
Step 10
Divide the pasta among plates or bowls. Garnish with mint and a dusting of Pecorino.
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