Tomato Tomatoe

spring pea pasta

When the air starts to get warmer and the sun stays outside just a bit longer, I know that Spring is around the corner. To celebrate the arrival of Spring, I love making a Spring pea pasta. The sweet peas and fresh basil are fresh and bright and they welcome the arrival of Spring. I always have a bag of frozen peas on hand and I love making this pasta during the weeknight. It’s creamy, comforting and has a sweetness from the peas and fresh basil.

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spring pea pasta

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh or frozen peas
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 shallots, minced
• ¼ cup white wine
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 cup fresh basil
• ¾ cup ricotta cheese
• 3 tbsp butter
• ¼- ½ cup of water (this is used in the blender to blend the sauce. You may need more or less depending on how powerful your blender is and how thick the mixture is)
• 1 box pasta
• 1 cup pasta water
• 1/4 cup panko
• 2 tbsp olive oil
  

Directions

1. To make the panko topping, heat a small fry pan with olive oil to medium heat. Once hot, add the panko and fry until golden. This should take a few minutes. Make sure to constantly stir the panko so that it doesn’t burn. Once ready set aside in a bowl.
2. Add peas, basil, ricotta, and ¼ of the water to a blender. Blend until smooth. If the mixture isn’t blending you will need to add more water until it blends to a smooth sauce.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (make sure you water is salty like the sea). Add the pasta and cook for 2 minutes less than the package says. Remove 1 cup of pasta water and set aside.
4. Heat a large dutch oven to medium and add olive oil. Once hot, add shallots and chillis. Cook for a few minutes until fragrant. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute until the garlic is fragrant. Add the white wine and cook for a few minutes.
5. Once the pasta is ready, add it to the dutch oven and pour in the pea puree. Add ½ cup of the pasta water and cook this for a few minutes. If the sauce is too thick add more of the pasta water. The sauce should be smooth and creamy.