Pasta Piselli

Pasta with peas

Ingredients

2 tbsp margarine or butter
3 cups tomato paste
2 cups peeled, canned tomatoes,pureed
1 large onion, diced
3 large cloves garlic
2 cups stock or water
1 cup white wine
quarter cup chopped parsley
(1/4 kg) 7.5 oz fresh peas
1 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
2 beef cubes
salt and pepper
pinch of sugar if required

Best with thin pasta, such as linguine. Boil al dente.

Method

Melt margarine or butter in saucepan and add onion. Cook over a low heat until golden brown. Add peas and garlic. Stir and cook for five minutes, then add tomato paste and tomatoes, beef cubes and wine. Simmer until peas well-cooked but not over-cooked. Add half the parsley. Add a bit of sugar if a bit too tart.
Pour sauce over cooked pasta, mix well.

Memories

Ah, pasta piselli. This is more my grandmother's recipe than my mother's. It is the dish I remember most about her. Sweet peas in a light tomato sauce with thin pasta cut up so as to eat it with a spoon is how I recall this dish. Still long enough to put sauce on your forehead when you slurp it off the spoon. All part of the experience!
My mother could also cook this well, although not as well as my grandmother. This is a dish that can be played with a bit, according to your tastes. you might want to add a bit of crushed chilli for an extra bite or perhaps basil leaves to sweeten it.