“P” is for Peas and Parmesan Pasta is a tongue teaser, but also a very passionate pea and pappardelle pasta recipe, a must if you love peas! This recipe is from Manhattan’s Pó restaurant, and Pó chef John Baron, which I originally saw featured in Oprah magazine, January 2001. Pó restaurant was established in 1993, and is permanently closed now, but it’s memory will live on with this recipe.

Keeping frozen peas in your freezer— olive oil, dried pasta, and red onions in your pantry, it can be an easy “go to” recipe when needed. With that said, this recipe calls upon best quality ingredients as usual for your best flavor and outcome. Fresh pasta is preferred, but you can easily used dried too. For the recipe this time I used bucatini pasta. I have always used frozen peas for the recipe with fabulous results, but I do want to use fresh peas from my garden one day.

Add a nice slice of rustic bread with your finished pasta, and you have a bright, flavorful, simple pea pasta dinner of comfort food.

Pappardelle with Peas and Parmesan

Lovingly Adapted from Pó Restaurant, Pó chef John Baron

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh or dried pappardelle (or fettuccine)

1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 cup coarsely chopped red onion

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups fresh or frozen peas, thawed

1/2 cup chicken broth or water

1 Tbsp. butter

12 whole mint leaves, optional

Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to taste

Whole cooked peas and lemon zest for garnish

Directions:

1) Boil a large pot of salted water and cook the pasta of your choice until al dente.

2) Meanwhile, in a wide skillet, heat 1 Tbsp. of olive oil over medium heat until hot. Add the onion, sugar, salt, pepper, and peas. If you are using fresh peas, cook 10-12 minutes or until the peas are soft and tender, stirring occasionally. If you are using frozen peas, add them when the onion is tender, and cook 2 more minutes stirring. Transfer the mixture to a blender and puree with broth or water and the remaining olive oil, scraping down the sides of the blender with a rubber spatula.

3) When the pasta is done, drain it. Mix the pea puree and butter in a saucepot; add the pasta and stir until it’s evenly coated. Add the mint leaves and toss well. Serve with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and garnish with whole cooked peas. Serves 4. Enjoy!

Please share if you have a simple pea recipe. Please share if you make this recipe.

French Fabulous!

I want to mention a wonderful French film (subtitled) (comedy, drama, and family) I saw recently which was so sweet, School of Life (2018), L’ecole buissonnière is the original title. I found it to view on Amazon Prime Video. Beautiful characters, beautiful story, beautiful France, and a theme that “life sometimes rights itself.”

Bon Appétit and Bon Weekend…Bonnie