Pasta, peas, parmigiana, pepper…

Eastside Road, February 8, 2015—

…TO WHICH YOU MIGHT add Pecorino, I think, just a little, to enrich the Parmigiana.

Oh: and cream. Yes: that's what it needed: just a bit of cream. Even though it doesn't begin with a "P."

The recipe is from our friend Jeff Stoffer, a downstairs cook at Chez Panisse in a former life, and a money management advisor currently. If you have any money to manage, he's your man: and he'll send you a recipe from time to time as a lagniappe.

Cook prepared small shell pasta the usual way, and meanwhile browned chopped pancetta in a little olive oil in the big stainless-steel skillet, then added a cup or two of peas, a bit of salt, a little water, and then, after a couple of minutes, a half cup of cream. She let this simmer, reducing the mixture a little but keeping it soupy; then added some white wine and cooked another minute or so.

When the pasta's done you strain it and add it to the pea-cream-pancetta mixture, stirring it over a little heat. Then a little butter, stirring it in. Some chopped herbs: parsley and thyme, I suppose; English peas always seem to want thyme. Black pepper.You might add a little of the pasta water to keep things more soupy than sticky.

Plate the pasta, adding some grated cheese on top; maybe a tiny squeeze of lemon juice or a sprinkle of white wine if it seems to want brightening. Thanks, Jeff!

Green salad afterward, of course.

Pinot grigio, Contadino "Vivace" (slightly sparkling), 2013: crisp, light, entertaining

☛Restaurants visited in 2015 are listed at Eatingday's Restaurants