Best Pasta With Peas?

[Tom P]

I have a bunch of fresh shelled English peas and wanted to make a killer pasta with it tonight. I could do it carbonara with pancetta but also wanted some other ideas. Thanks!

[danionavenue]

fettuccine alfredo with shrimp and peas would be good too.

[hotoynoodle]

weird to me how many want to smother the peas in cream. such sweet little gems of early summer.

i like peas with shrimp too. with fresh ginger, grated orange zest and sesame oil over soba noodles is a nice summer dinner too.

[Will Owen]

Old standard American summer dish. In New England the traditional 4th of July meal used to be fresh salmon with creamed potatoes and peas (the vegetables combined in a single dish). If the peas are stirred in when they're just barely cooked, they don't lose that first brilliant sweetness, and the bland white sauce and earthy new potatoes add to make a good and interesting dish. Not nearly so good as leftovers.

[hotoynoodle]

i'm aware of that dish and the local 4th of july tradition. i've lived in boston most of my life. doesn't mean i want to eat it. ever. :)

[Will Owen]

My mom always made it to accompany a gelatin salmon or tuna mold. It was her brother's favorite meal of hers, so I was always glad to know when Uncle Jack was going to be visiting. Mrs. O, on the other hand, never tasted any of those things until she met me; lucky for me she loves them. No accounting for taste …

[chefj]

There is a great dish called "Straw and Hay" similar to many other flavor combos in this thread but it's own dish none the less.
Egg and Spinach Tagliatelle with either Speck or Prosciutto, Peas, Mushrooms, Cream and Parm.
Lots of variations on the same theme are possible as well.

[Will Owen]

I came up with a Straw and Hay version using Tennessee country ham instead of the prosciutto, and the sauce was basically a cream reduction. I submitted it to the local PBS station for their fundraiser, and they put it in the cookbook and had me cook it on the fundraiser show. My proudest moment came when I brought the pan offstage after my segment and all the crew were waiting, forks in hand! It disappeared in seconds … I used fettucini for it; at home, with no need for authenticity, I just use the white stuff. So I guess it's "Hay and Hay"!

[DPGood]

Nice!

[c oliver]

I know Tom P's dinner is over but I gotta say that, if I had fresh peas, I'd take a less is better approach. Maybe homemade tagliatelli with peas, butter and cheese? I would want the peas to be the biggest taste there. Not muck around with strong tasting herbs, other vegetables, etc.

[fourunder]

i have similar thoughts too. one of my favorite soups is simple Pastina and Peas in Chicken Broth....drink the soup til it's gone....then add butter and cheese.

[c oliver]

It's funny, I didn't remember having posted on this thread in March. I'm thinking your pastina and peas sounds awfully good. Especially since it's snowing here!!!

[smilingal]

you must be kidding - snow???

[c oliver]

Six inches!!! Springtime in the Sierra Nevada :)

I wound up making Hazan's carbonara and added the peas to the oo, pancetta, wine mix. It was terrific. The fresh peas added a different texture as well as taste. We have leftovers so I can taste test it some more.

[Sherri]

Some of us are very jealous, especially those of us with 100 degree temperatures. Any fresh peas that I can find will be a pasta salad or cold mint-pea soup (she writes wearing a wet bathing suit).

[Cheese Boy]

Meat tortellini with peas are excellent topped with a red sauce. For pasta e piselli, try Barilla fiori.

[hotoynoodle]

i like cheese tortellini with peas, since i've never had good meat tortellini.

i too prefer the less is more and just heat the peas by putting them in the colander. when the pasta is finished, i drain it over the peas. a little olive oil, lots of lemon juice and fresh mint with some cracked pepper heated through, toss in the peas and pasta. top with grayed parm. great summer dish.

[c oliver]

What a great idea! Do you do that with fresh peas?

[hotoynoodle]

fresh or frozen. they stay so firm on the outside, it rocks.

[c oliver]

This is the kinda Chow-tip that is just so cool. Thanks again.

[Maggie Larkin]

orecchiette with peas, onions, little butter, olive oil, salt, pepper & basil makes a simple quick dish. you can add a little meat if you desire, ham works well and does crumbled sausage.

[smilingal]

I know it's past the night - but Pasta, Pesto and Peas - Ina's recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/in...

[roxlet]

My mother used to make pasta with peas using tomato juice as the base. It was very liquid-y -- somewhere between a soup and a pasta.

[Tom P]

Great suggestions everyone, thanks so much! I will try all these.. Trader Joe's has fresh shelled english peas on sale right now. I am buying a ton of them !

[Novelli]

I personally like to use rigatoni or a wide penne, simply because the little peas can actually fit into the tubes, holds the peas and sauce, and gives a nice pop with sweet flavor.

I made a pea, green onion, and prosciutto rigatoni with a spicy pepper sauce on Sunday. It was killer!

[kattyeyes]

Penne with Asparagus, Sage and Peas (from Food & Wine, April 2009) is a spring fave of mine:
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/penne-with-asparagus-sage-and-peas

Here is an old thread about it with additional variations on the original recipe:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/606513

[shrimp13]

I know it's late but; orzo with butter and parm and peas?

[Erika L]

For the next go-round: caramelized onions, bacon or pancetta, and peas, tosses with brown butter and topped with Parm. I like a pasta with crevices, such as ruffled trumpets (can't remember their name), little ears, etc. I do the same thing with fava beans, which are even more of a pain to shell than peas.

[Sherri]

Next time you have fresh peas and want to do pasta, try salmon (smoked or fresh), heavy cream and peas over fresh fettucine. A sprinkling of minced dill wouldn't be out of place.

[c oliver]

I'm thinking I'll make tagliatelle.

[chowser]

Your dinner has probably come and gone but paglia e fieno is a favorite.

[TheHuntress]

I love fresh peas! I've made this pasta a few times before always with many compliments. I am now wondering why I don't make it so often...

Cook your pancetta in some oil in a large frying pan until crispy and then add a cup of your peas, 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic, 3oz of Boursin cheese and 10oz of cream. Stir over a low heat until the cheese has melted, removed from heat and add 3oz of grated parmesan and about 1/4 cup of chopped parsley. Stir in about 300gm of cooked pasta and enjoy!

[rabaja]

That sounds heavenly.

[scunge]

The Pasta ? Ditali /ditalini or tubettini and lentals

[MellieMag]

If I have fresh peas, I'm going to cream them. We eat peas and pasta but fresh ones! An old man,friend of my son, wanted to live long enough to have another "mess" ( shows where I'm from) of creamed peas and new potatoes. He didn't ,but if there's a heaven,that's what they would serve there.

[rabaja]

How do you cream your peas MM? Looking forward to lots of fresh peas in the coming months, would love to try your recipe.

[MellieMag]

Just a plain old white sauce,now I think they're calling it a Bechamel. It's just what my Mama called a cream sauce. Real butter, flour, whole milk at the least, very simple ingredients but the goodness of the vegetables makes it wonderful. You will have lots of fresh peas? I'm so jealous, we are lucky if we get to eat them once or twice.

[sccrash]

MellieMag, you're making me so hungry...

We grow a lot of peas, and shelling can be a little tedious. What keeps me going every time, though, is knowing my reward is a delicious serving of teeny-tiny peas cooked just until heated through in a spoonful of heavy cream and a sprinkiling of fresh dill. Nirvana in a bowl!

Reward two is knowing they taste just as wonderful done up the same way out of the freezer in January.

Even though they'e one of the earliest seeds you can plant here on the barren toondra (MN), we've already started some in peat pots. Didn't grow enough last year, and ran out too soon. That'll never happen again.

[smartie]

my mum made us shell peas every Sunday morning in summer to have with our roast lunch - that brought back memories!

love the idea of fresh peas in a cream sauce

[karykat]

Creamed with a little mint.

[fourunder]

I'm probably too late for dinner, but next time consider a veal ragout with fresh peas and your favorite pasta....I like it with gnocchi

[HillJ]

We enjoy farfalle or bow-tie pasta with peas, thin slices of virginia ham, sweet onion, and asparagus tips in a creamy white cheese sauce. I prefer is to pan fry in some herb butter the cooked farfalle before adding in the other ingredients and sauce.

[audreyhtx1]

Yep - I do pretty much the same.

[c oliver]

I'm liking this. I have pancetta but no ham and am thinking it would sub fine. Also have Vidalias (finally the season has arrived!) Any thoughts?

[HillJ]

hey c o, go for it! pancetta would be delish and what's not to love about Vadalias. I'd pan roast the onions (sliced) with a tad of olive oil and add the pancetta at the toss altogether stage. Enjoy!

[jjjrfoodie]

I like the Jeff Smith/Frugal Gourmet Carbonara sometimes as a change, as I use peas, but the overall recipe uses cream or half and half, butter and tarragon wine vinegar along with eggs and the usual ingredients. Since it's a "bastardization" anyway, the peas go in and work well with teh acids, at least to me.

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