Pasta Piselli 

A simple recipe my mother made often as a first dish. Standard home cooking that I’ve never seen on a restaurant menu. Some of the peas nestle into the conchigliette all by themselves – a nice touch.

Ingredients:

• 7 or 8 peeled, cored & sliced cipollini (or substitute ½ onion, chopped)
• ½ tspn salt
• ½ tspn black pepper
• ¼ tspn red pepper flakes
• 1 oz prosciutto, (2 or 3 slices cut into 1 inch pieces)
• 1 tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 14 oz. fresh, frozen or canned small peas
• 1 lb conchigliette (small shells)

Preparation:

Pasta – Boil water in a 3 quart pot. When the water boils add the pasta and cook until aldente (approximately 7-8 minutes).

Sauce – Sweat the cipollini in oil with salt and black and red pepper in a pot on low to medium heat. Add the prosciutto and fry for a few minutes. Add the tomato and cook until it breaks down, about 8 minutes. Add 1 cup of the pasta water and the peas – fresh or frozen, cook for 5 minutes.

When pasta is cooked, toss with sauce. Add more pasta water to make it wet but not too soupy.