Pasta with slivered sugar snap peas
Adapted from a recipe by Joshua McFadden in his fabulous book Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables by Anastasia, Carnegie Hill CSA [link underlined to https://www.kitchenartsandletters.com/products/six-seasons-a-new-way-with-vegetables-c]
This is a great pasta recipe, where the sugar snap peas liven up and add a nice crunch, offsetting the richness of the dish. Joshua McFadden’s original recipe uses pancetta and a compound butter, but I rarely have those on hand, so I simplified it one day and it came out delicious! It’s since become a weeknight favorite.
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 3 oz pancetta optional, diced or chopped
- 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil for pancetta, if using
- 8 oz spaghetti fettuccine, or tagliatelle
- 1 lb sugar snap peas strings pulled off, peas very thinly sliced on a sharp angle (so they’re almost shredded)
- 4 Tbs unsalted butter
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- ¼ Cup finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- ¼ Cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
- More Pecorino Romano cheese for grating
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a tablespoon of salt.
- If using pancetta: Put the pancetta and olive oil into a skillet or Dutch oven large enough to hold the pasta. Cook pancetta until it’s slightly crisped around the edges and most of the fat has rendered out, about 9-12 minutes. Remove the skillet from heat and spoon off most of the fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon.
- When water is boiling, add pasta and cook until almost al dente, then add the thinly-sliced sugar snap peas and cook for 30 seconds to a minute longer.
- Drain the pasta and snap peas, leaving a little bit of pasta water in the pot. This will help to thicken the sauce and make it stick to the pasta better.
- Add butter to the pot and toss with the pasta. Then slowly add the grated Pecorino Romano and Parmesan cheese and toss well to incorporate until the sauce is creamy and evenly coats the pasta. If you are using pancetta, first put the skillet back over medium heat to gently reheat the bits, then put the drained pasta and snap peas directly into the skillet along with the butter and cheese, and toss everything well to incorporate.
- Serve with freshly ground pepper and more grated Pecorino, if desired.