Spring Pea Shoots Pasta And Pancetta Recipes

PEAS & PANCETTA

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a medium (10-inch) saute pan, add the pancetta and shallot, and cook over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pancetta is browned and the shallot is tender. Add the frozen peas, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook over medium-low heat for 4 to 5 minutes, until the peas are hot. Stir in the mint, taste for seasonings, and serve hot.

CREAMY SPRING PEAS WITH PANCETTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Fill a large bowl with ice water. If using fresh English peas, add to the boiling water and cook until tender, about 1 minute. Add the snap peas and cook until bright green, about 2 minutes, then add the snow peas and cook 30 seconds. Drain the peas and plunge into the ice water to cool.
• Cook the pancetta in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon. Add the flour to the drippings in the skillet and cook, whisking, until toasted, about 1 minute. Whisk in the chicken broth and cream and cook until reduced by one-third, about 6 minutes.
• Drain the peas, shaking off the excess water, then add to the skillet (if using frozen peas, add them here). Cook, stirring, until heated through, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the pancetta.
• Photograph courtesy Anna Williams

PAPPARDELLE WITH PANCETTA AND PEAS

Steps:

• Set a small saucepan of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Add pancetta and cook for 1 minute, then drain and set aside.
• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil on the back burner, for cooking the pasta.
• Meanwhile, put basil, parsley and mint in a mortar or mini food processor and mash to a coarse paste with about 1/4 cup oil. Set aside.
• Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add green garlic and peas, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Allow garlic and peas to sizzle without browning for about 1 minute. Add reserved pancetta and 1/2 cup water, and bring to a simmer for 1 minute more. Stir in mustard greens to wilt slightly, then add herb paste, ricotta and lemon zest. Turn off the heat
• Cook the pasta at a brisk simmer until al dente. Drain and toss gently with ingredients in skillet. Taste and adjust seasoning. Transfer to a warm platter or individual dishes and serve immediately. Pass grated cheese at the table.

PASTA, PANCETTA AND PEAS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.
• Meanwhile, saute pancetta in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until golden and crisp, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. In the same pan, saute onions until softened, about 5 minutes. Add peas and garlic and saute for 3 minutes. Stir in Parmesan, pasta and pancetta. Moisten pasta with some of the reserved pasta water. Toss to incorporate, season with salt and pepper, if necessary, and serve, sprinkled with lemon juice.

SPRING PASTA WITH MUSHROOMS, CHILES AND SPRING PEAS

Steps:

• Bring a small pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Prepare an ice bath. Blanch the peas in the boiling water until bright green, about 20 seconds. Transfer immediately to the ice bath. Once cool, drain completely.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with salt until it tastes of lightly salted broth. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions until al dente.
• While the pasta is cooking, in a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, shallot and pepperoncini and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the maitake and oyster mushrooms and cook until softened, another 3 to 4 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the white wine.
• When the pasta is cooked to al dente, add the pasta to the pan with the mushrooms directly from the pot, reserving the pasta water. Allow the pasta to finish cooking in the mushroom sauce, about 1 minute. Add the peas, butter and Fresno chile and stir to coat. Turn off the heat and add the Pecorino Romano in handfuls, stirring in between additions to prevent lumps. Add pasta water to thin the sauce as desired. Finish with the basil and a drizzle of olive oil.

PASTA CARBONARA WITH ENGLISH PEAS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt until it tastes like the sea.
• Put the pancetta and a small glug of olive oil in a skillet or Dutch oven that's large enough to hold all the pasta. Cook until the pancetta is lightly browned but still slightly chewy, 9 to 12 minutes (or less if you're using thinly sliced pancetta). Season the pancetta very generously with pepper. Take the skillet off the heat, but don't drain anything-you'll use that fat!
• When the water is at a boil, add the pasta and cook according to the package directions until almost al dente. When the pasta is almost ready, add the shelled peas to the pasta pot.
• Put the skillet back over medium heat and reheat the pancetta gently.
• With a ladle or a measuring cup, scoop out about 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta and peas. Whisk a couple of tablespoons of the pasta water into the fat and pancetta in the skillet, to make the bacon fat lighter and creamier by emulsifying it with the water. Pull the pan off the heat.
• Whisk some of that warm fat into the beaten egg to temper it (meaning to gently warm up the egg so that it doesn't scramble when you add it to the hot skillet), then whisk the egg into the skillet.
• Dump the pasta, peas, scallions, and pea tendrils (if using) into the skillet. Add both the cheeses and toss everything quickly and thoroughly to blend. Add a few more small splashes of the pasta water and keep tossing until the noodles are cloaked in a creamy sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt or black pepper as needed. Serve right away. This dish does not wait.

SPRING PEAS WITH PANCETTA

Steps:

• Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and saute for about 5 minutes or until the pancetta is crispy. Remove pancetta. Chop pancetta into pieces.
• Add onion and garlic to the drippings in the skillet. Saute for 2-5 minutes until tender.
• Add peas, broth, sugar, salt and pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until the peas are at the desired tenderness.
• Stir in chopped parsley and pancetta. Stir and heat through.
• Serve.

SPRING PEA SHOOTS PASTA AND PANCETTA

Steps:

• Set a large skillet over medium heat. Once it's hot, add the pancetta and shallots and cook for about 8 minutes, or until they are beginning to turn golden around the edges. Don't worry if it starts to stick a little. Add the pea shoots and cook for an additional 2 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside. Cook the pasta until it's almost al dente. Set the skillet back over medium heat. Using tongs, transfer the linguine directly into the skillet, allowing some of the pasta water to transfer to the skillet as well. (If you're not cool with this method, you can also drain the linguine in a colander, reserving 1/3 cup pasta water, then toss the pasta and water into the skillet.) Drizzle with the olive oil, add a lot of freshly ground pepper and the lemon juice. Using 2 wooden spoons or your tongs, toss everything together until evenly coated, making sure to deglaze the brown/sticky bits on the bottom of the pan. Those are quite delicious. Serve with a generous dusting of pecorino cheese.