back to cooking...

It's so good to be back in my kitchen again. It felt strange to go a full two weeks without cooking a single dish. And to make things even more pleasurable... all our gifts arrived from the wedding registry the day we came home. I'm now the proud owner of a kitchenaid, I feel very lucky, I've dreamt about owning one for so long. Samuel had even said he'd buy it for me if it wasn't purchased as a gift. He's a smart boy.

So I've been cooking up a storm the past few days. One of the stand out dishes was this pea & pasta soup I made for lunch yesterday. If you live in Melbourne, you should definately take lunch oneday at the Journal Canteen. I worked there the year before last with my friend Rosa, she's the brains behind the food there. Rosa has written a cookbook of her sicilian recipes & this month it hit the shelves. This soup is one of many in the book & it is simply delicious.

Pasta e Piselli

3 tbsp olive oil
3 spring onions
1kg frozen peas
500g pasta
extra virgin olive oil, to serve

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the spring onions & cook for about 2 minutes until translucent.
Meanwhile, rinse the frozen peas under cold water in a colander. Add the peas to the pan, add salt to taste & put the lid on. Turn heat to low & cook the peas slowly, stirring occasionally. When they start to dry out add a 1/2 cupful of water, but not too much at once. The secret to this recipe is to coo the peas in as little water as possible, so that they stew in their own juice. Only add enough water to stop them sticking. Carry on like this for about 30 minutes, until the peas are very soft, almost mushy & sweet.
Add 3 litres of water & turn up the heat to high. When it comes to the boil, add the pasta. (If you prefer more broth, add only half the pasta.)
Drizzle with oil to serve.