BOOK NOW for the Good Food Show Summer 13 – 16 June 2024
Pasta e piselli cremosi (creamy pasta with peas)
By: Gennaro Contaldo
Course: Main
Gennaro demonstrated this delicious recipe at BBC Good Food Show Summer 2023. See Gennaro cooking live in the Big Kitchen at our BBC Good Food Show Winter on Thursday 23 November. BOOK NOW!
This nutritious one-pot is a slightly different take on traditional pasta e piselli. Half the peas are blended for a creamier consistency and the uncooked pasta is added raw and cooked a bit like a risotto. Depending on your pasta brand, you may need more or less stock. If you’re vegetarian, simply omit the pancetta. Quick and simple with very few ingredients, I’m sure this will become a firm favourite.
Serves: 4
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
60g pancetta, finely chopped
360g frozen peas
1.8 litres hot vegetable stock, plus extra
320g ditalini or tubettini pasta
50g grated parmesan
Method
- Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan, add the onion and pancetta and cook over a medium heat for about 4 mins. Stir in the peas and cook for 1 min.
- Add 2 tbsp stock and continue to cook for 2 mins until the peas are cooked. Remove from the heat and pour half the mixture into a blender. Whizz until smooth. Return the blended mixture to the pan with the intact peas, place over the heat, stir through the dry pasta and tip in the remaining stock.
- Bring to the boil and continue to cook over a medium–high heat until the pasta is cooked al dente. Remove from the heat and stir in the parmesan, check for seasoning and add a little salt and pepper if required. Serve immediately.
Image credit: David Loftus
