Here is a very common, simple and delicious pasta dish that my mom made regularly, macaroni with peas. It’s usually made with a small shaped macaroni, but I always remember my mother breaking the spaghetti up into little pieces about 1-2 inches long, it was a skill she had and very effective when served with the peas swimming around the liquid in the bowl.
Equipment: One large pasta pot (8-quart) for sauteeing and mixing it all together in, on one burner. Another large pot for boiling the water and cooking the pasta in, on the side burner to the other pot. Flat edge wooden utensil for stirring the onions around. A ladle for scooping the cooked pasta into the pot of cooked peas and sauteed onions. And finally, you will also use the ladle to add the pasta water to the peas, onions and pasta in the pot.
This is a five ingredient recipe.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (1-1.5 cup) to cover the bottom of the pot, probably a little more that a cup.
1 medium to large onion, I like to use a Vidalia onion because it’s sweeter, but of course my mother used a regular onion.
1 pound of fresh or frozen fresh peas. I seem to remember my mom using frozen peas, I’m sure using fresh peas will add to the flavor.
1lb box of tubettini macaroni or spaghetti broken into one inch pieces. My mother was really good and breaking up the spaghetti to the perfect size, I remember she always placed the pasta she was going to cook in a pasta dish on the counter next to the stove. When the water was boiling, the pasta slipped so easily out of the dish and into the boiling water.
Water from the pot you boiled the macaroni in. Reserve this water, it is the final main ingredient.
Sea salt.
Freshly ground Pepper.
Saute one medium to large onion in a layer of olive oil, in a pasta pot.
- When the onions are sauteed enough, that is they are soft and glossy, add the one pound of fresh or frozen peas. Stir it up, and let it cook for about 20 minutes, stirring, and continuing this way until the peas are no longer frozen. Whether you use fresh or frozen peas, you are cooking the peas with the onions until the peas are cooked. At this point, season the peas and onion with some good sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
When the macaroni is al dente, begin ladling it into the pot of cooked peas and onion, which are still on heat. Note that the peas and onions are still simmering in their pot. RESERVE this pasta water, do NOT drain the macaroni from this pot. The water is part of the recipe.
Continue adding macaroni to peas and onions. Add the entire pound of cooked macaroni to the pot of peas and onions. Be sure to reserve the pasta water which you will need to add to the pot as well, this water is part of the recipe! Do NOT drain the pasta from the pot. Have I told you this enough times?
Now you have all the macaroni in the same pot with the peas and onions. Mix it up so it is combined well.
Start ladling the pasta water from the pot you cooked the macaroni in, into the pot of peas, onion and macaroni. Remember, I told you to reserve this water, it is part of the recipe. Keep adding this water until it reaches the top of the pot.
Add some salt and and little more pepper to the pot and mix. The salt and pepper really enhances this 5 ingredient dish. I like to use a good sea salt and a lot of fresh ground Tellicherry pepper.
At this point, shut off the burner. Stir up the pasta again and put the lid on for 10 minutes and serve it by ladling it into pasta dishes. The pasta should be watery in the dish.
This is your dish of Pasta e Piselli with more pepper if you like, and grated cheese like Romano or Parmegianno. You can even add more pasta water to each dish if there is not enough, you should see the extra water in the dish.
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