“It’ll be like mac and cheese,” she said.
When I called my mom to see if she was up for helping me write a food blog, she very excitedly informed me that she had just watched a cooking segment on the Today Show with Donatella Arpaia. It had something to do with serving your hungover friends an Italian brunch after a rough night of celebrating on New Year’s Eve. The recipe that caught her eye was Warm and Easy Pantry Pasta. I immediately became suspicious when she said, “It’ll be like mac and cheese.”
Now, I have to say that I don’t think this was a “bad” recipe. It simply wasn’t for me. When I first looked it over I was initially thrown off by the peas, excited by the lemon, and intrigued by the mint. I hate peas. I love lemon. I really love mint. Giving this recipe a shot helped me learn three things. First, I still hate peas. Second, I don’t love lemon with peas, ricotta, and pasta. And third, I prefer my mint with chocolate.
To me, there is no LIKE mac and cheese, there only IS mac and cheese. However, I can see why someone (ahem, mom) might put this in the same category. It is a light-ish and fresh tasting dish due to the ricotta, lemon, and mint. I think that it would make a great side for a nicely grilled protein, or could be paired well with a salad.
Mom (aka Donna):
It WAS just like mac and cheese, honest! Just a lighter version with the spring-like addition of peas, lemon and mint!
Of course, I'm not married to the mac and cheese king, so I can see why Anna would conclude it wasn't very mac and cheese-like. But, I liked this version. I love ricotta and it certainly gave the dish a lighter texture and taste. It almost made me feel as if I were dieting and the mint was an interesting addition.
I did have some issues with the recipe, given it was presented as "pantry ready". Now, I don't know about you, but ricotta is not a weekly staple in my fridge. Nor is fresh mint, especially in the winter. Remarkably, I was able to find it in my local Hannaford! I did halve the recipe. A pound of pasta for two people would have us still eating this dish months from now. I think it's a good recipe to use when opening the fridge and discovering the half empty container of ricotta, or a cup of leftover peas. After all, pasta is always found in my pantry.
Since the recipe passed the, "Honey, would you eat this again?" test, I will be adding it to my Make Again list.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 pouch cooked sweet peas
- 2 tbsp. lemon zest
- 2 tbsp. mint, chopped
- 1 lb. orecchiette or shell pasta
- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1. Mix the ricotta, 1/2 cup Parmesan and 1 tablespoon lemon zest in a small bowl. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.
2. Bring a medium pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook it according to package directions.
While pasta is boiling:
3. In a large bowl add cooked peas that have been warmed slightly in microwave along with softened butter to large bowl.
4. Mix in the ricotta mixture. Stir until the ricotta is evenly incorporated with the pasta. If it is too dry, add reserved water a little at a time.
5. Top off with remaining Parmesan, chopped mint and additional pepper.
No comments:
Post a Comment