Ingredients
- ½ box Flour + Water Organic Penne Rigate
- 5 ounces English peas
- ½ cup pea shoots
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
- About ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons pure olive oil
- 3 ounces diced prosciutto
- 1 tablespoon minced green garlic, or 1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 ½ ounces spring onions, diced into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock
- 5 ½ ounces shelled English peas
- 4 tablespoons butter, chilled
- 3 cups baby arugula
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Freshly grate Parmigiano-Reggiano, for finishing
- 20 arugula flowers, stemmed, for garnish
Method
Have ready a bowl of ice water. To make the puree, cook the peas and shoots in boiling salted water until tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to the ice bath and cool completely, about 2 minutes. Remove the peas from the water and store, refrigerated, until ready to use. Put the peas and shoots in the jar of a blender. Add the milk and begin to puree, Add just enough water, roughly ¼ cup, to achieve a smooth puree. Season with salt. You should have about 2 cups.
Bring a large pot of seasoned water to a boil. Heat a 12-inch saute pan over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add the olive oil and heat until it gently ripples on the surface of the pan. Add the prosciutto. It should sizzle the moment it hits the pan. You want to brown it a bit without making it crispy, about 1 minute. This step will infuse the oil with the prosciutto flavor, which will permeate the entire dish. Add the green garlic and spring onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are translucent, about 5 minutes. You want to keep stirring to prevent the garlic from burning. Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil over medium heat, and allow the stock to begin to reduce.
Add the pasta to the water when you begin cooking the prosciutto. Increase the heat under the sauté pan to medium-high and bring the liquid to a boil. Cook for about 1 minute. Add the peas to warm through. Once the pasta is cooked 80 percent through, until almost al dente, and add it to the pan. Cook in the pan for about 2 minutes. Add the butter and the pea puree and vigorously swirl the pan to create an emulsion. We want to keep reducing until the sauce coats the noodle.
Turn off the heat and gently fold in the arugula. Toss the pasta to incorporate the arugula. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
To serve, divide the pasta and sauce between four plates. Garnish with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, sprinkle with arugula flowers, if using, and serve immediately.
