Farro Pasta With Peas, Pancetta and Herbs
Published April 4, 2017
Karsten Moran for The New York Times
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces pancetta, about 2 thick slices, cut crosswise into lardons
1 pound farro spaghetti or another pasta shape
1 ½ cups chopped scallions, about 2 trimmed bunches
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons roughly chopped sage
1 ½ cups shucked garden peas, about 8 ounces
1 ½ cups snap peas, about 8 ounces, trimmed
2 cups snow peas, about 6 ounces, trimmed
2 tablespoons butter at room temperature
½ teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons roughly chopped parsley
2 tablespoons roughly chopped mint
¼ cup crumbled ricotta salata or mild feta cheese, about 2 ounces
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)
71 grams carbs; 28 milligrams cholesterol; 518 calories; 8 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 19 grams fat; 8 grams fiber; 547 milligrams sodium; 18 grams protein; 7 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Place a large pot of well-salted water over high heat and bring to a boil for the pasta.
- Step 2
Place a large, wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and pancetta. Let pancetta sizzle and take color, stirring, until nicely browned, with a little give, about 5 minutes. Remove pancetta with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Step 3
Start to cook the pasta, timing it to be ready just as the peas are done. Cook until pasta is quite al dente (less time than package directions indicate). Drain pasta, reserving a cup or so of pasta-cooking water.
- Step 4
Leaving skillet over medium-high heat, add scallions, crushed red pepper and sage, stirring well to coat. Add 3 types of peas and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until firm-tender, about 5 minutes.
- Step 5
Add drained pasta to vegetables in the pan, along with ½ cup pasta-cooking water and let simmer. Toss well with 2 wooden spoons, or tongs, and season pasta–vegetable mixture once more with salt and pepper. Add more pasta cooking water as necessary, until vegetables have softened a bit and pasta is just done.
- Step 6
Turn off heat and stir in butter. Mix together lemon zest, parsley and mint, and sprinkle over pasta.
- Step 7
Transfer pasta to a large, low bowl, sprinkle with ricotta salata and serve. (You might also divide the dish into individual servings.)
Private Notes
Comments
The recipe directions loose the trail with what to do with the pancetta after cooking and setting aside. I assume you put it back in the pasta mixture with vegetables, but this is not specified in the directions. I put them back in pasta mix. Perhaps you just want the pancetta to flavor the pasta, not to add the actual meat. I think you need to rewrite the recipe to include this step. Otherwise, the result was fabulous. Just made tonight.
You can get it at most Italian specialty stores, like Italy in NYC.
I made my own farro pasta by grinding flour in a mill/kitchen aide attachment.
I made a veggie version of this, no pancetta and added extra greens that I needed to use up, spinach and radish greens. I also used fresh shredded parm instead of the other recommended cheeses since I had it on hand. It turned out great although I wonder what I might use in place of pancetta … shiitakes?
Delicious! Added sliced asparagus when I added the peas, increased the amount of red pepper flakes. So good!