Macaroni and Peas
This recipe starts with a love of store-bought mac and cheese, amplified with frozen peas and diced ham. But then, it adds a few layers of flavor, increasing the peas, sautéing the cured pork and using a from-scratch garlicky Parmesan sauce inspired by classic pasta paglia e fieno (“straw and hay pasta,” so named because it’s typically made with a combination of plain and green fettuccine pastas that resembles fresh and dried grass). While pasta paglia e fieno typically uses reduced heavy cream as its sauce, this recipe keeps it a little lighter by decreasing the amount of cream and instead relying on eggs to give the sauce its clingy, glossy texture, like in a good carbonara. A finish of parsley and mint further lightens it.
- Preparation:
- Cooking:
- Total:
- Serves: 4 persons
Ingredients
- 2ounces grated Parmesan (about ¾ cup), plus more for the table
- 2whole large eggs
- ½cup heavy cream
- Salt and black pepper
- 1pound short, chunky dry pasta, such as rigatoni, cavatappi, bowties or elbow macaroni
- 1cup frozen peas
- 1teaspoon canola or vegetable oil
- 2to 3 ounces bacon or pancetta, cut into ¼-inch dice (if you are using pre-sliced bacon, preferably thick-cut, cut crosswise into ¼-inch pieces)
- 3scallions, thinly sliced, greens and white reserved separately
- 3medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
- About 1 packed cup (total) fresh parsley and mint leaves, chopped
Instructions
Step 1
Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat, and while you wait, make the sauce: Whisk together the grated cheese, eggs and cream in a large bowl and set aside.Step 2
Add the pasta to the boiling water, give it a stir and let it cook until mostly done but still slightly chalky in the center, about 2 minutes less than the package directions. Add the frozen peas and cook until defrosted, about 1 minute longer. Drain, reserving at least 2 cups of the starchy pasta water.Step 3
While the pasta cooks, heat the oil and bacon or pancetta in a large straight-sided skillet or saucepan over medium-high. Cook, stirring frequently, until the bacon browns at the edges, about 4 minutes. Add the scallions whites, the garlic, a few generous grinds of black pepper and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until the garlic and scallions are lightly softened and fragrant, about 30 seconds longer. Remove from heat and, using a ladle, add ½ cup of the pasta water to the pan to halt cooking.Step 4
When the pasta is cooked, add the drained pasta, peas and a half cup of the reserved pasta water to the bowl with the cream sauce. Stir with tongs to thoroughly combine, then transfer everything back to the skillet with the bacon, scallion whites, and garlic. Set over low heat and cook, stirring and tossing continuously, until the sauce thickens lightly and coats the pasta, about 2 minutes. (If it looks too dry, add more reserved pasta water, stir and toss vigorously, bearing in mind that it will get drier once it hits the plate and starts to cool, so it should look a little too loose in the pan.)Step 5
Stir in parsley, mint and scallion greens, keeping a handful of herbs for garnish. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle with reserved herbs and cheese, and serve immediately.