Farfalle con Piselli e Pomodoro – Butterfly Pasta with Peas, Tomatoes, Sausage and Cream Recipe
BUTTERFLY PASTA WITH PEAS, TOMATOES, SAUSAGE, AND CREAM
This is a luscious and simple sauce, definitely one of my everyday favorites. The cream softens the edges of the tomato sauce without making it overly rich. Of
course, my preference is to use just-picked fresh peas, but they are a fleeting pleasure. Using frozen petite peas will allow you to enjoy this sauce more than just a few weeks a year.
Serves 4 to 6
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, minced
4 to 6 ounces hot Italian sausage, preferably with fennel seed
1 pound ripe plum tomatoes, grated
¼ cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds English peas, shelled (about 2 cups)
1 pound farfalle, gemelli, or fusilli
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation instructions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over moderately low heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Remove the sausage from its casing if necessary and add it to the skillet, breaking it up with a fork. Cook just until it loses most of its pinkness, then add the tomatoes and simmer gently until the tomatoes are softened and no longer raw-tasting, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cream and remove from the heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Put the peas in a sieve that fits inside the pot of water, resting on the edges of the pot, and cook them in the boiling water until tender, about 5 minutes. Lift them out and add them to the skillet. Keep the cooking water at a boil.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until 1 minute shy of al dente. Set aside 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta and return it to the warm pot over moderately low heat. Add the sauce and cook for about 1 minute to allow the pasta to absorb some of the flavor of the sauce. Moisten with some of the reserved pasta water as needed. Stir in the cheese, then divide among warm bowls and serve immediately.
Recipe from the “Four Seasons Pasta: A Year of Inspired Recipes in the Italian Tradition” cookbook.