If you haven’t had it fresh, you’ve never had it. That’s what I told my sister on the phone as I talked to her about the peas I picked this week. I was familiar with berries (and would say the same is true for them) but it was my first time with peas. I was excited which was good since the raspberries we came to pick didn’t have the best showing…. but the peas were ripe! As I picked I couldn’t help but start to dream up a recipe to use them.
Now, I really like to cook. I’m no Rachel Ray or Martha Stewart – and I some ways I don’t aspire to be – but I love to make good food and of course eat it. I also have been a recipe follower for the majority of my cooking life. I didn’t really have the background to experiment successfully but with several years under my belt I stood in the field of peas and imagined a fresh and creamy pasta dish. I decided to go for this recipe that was brewing in my head, and see what I could make. I documented it in case it was successful and was thrilled when it was. Plus it took about 15 minutes to make and I’m not even kidding… and just writing about it makes me hungry.
While not everyone will want – or be able to – head out to a farm and pick fresh peas of your own, since they are in season you can most likely find them at the farmers market or grocery store (but I would still recommend a field trip to pick some of your own – plus free samples!). I didn’t really measure all of the ingredients to a T but have estimated them for you and encourage your own improvisation.
Fresh Pasta with Spinach + Peas:
1/2 box spaghetti (is that a valid measuring term?)
3/4c fresh peas
1 1/2c fresh spinach (somewhat packed into cups)
2/3c heavy cream
1/2c grated 4 cheese blend (asiago/parmesan/fontina/provolone – from Wegmans)
olive oil
salt + pepper
- bring water to a boil, cook pasta like you normally would until al dente. Drain, reserving 1c of the water in a cup and put past back in pot (I added a dash of the pasta water to the pot – it has lots of starch and helps the cream thicken).
- put fresh peas in reserved pasta water for appx 1 min (since the water is still boiling hot, it will cook them quickly but not that much keeping them really fresh)
- drain peas and add to pot, along with spinach, most of the cheese, heavy cream, 1-2T olive oil, salt + pepper to taste. Stir and combine well, let sit for a few minutes to thicken and allow spinach to wilt.
- Serve + add a little cheese on top!
yum! Can it get any easier? if you try this let me know and I hope it’s as delicious as mine was!
by Mary Dougherty
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