Ditalini with peas Recipe

Place the small onion, finely diced, in a pan with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Start with cold olive oil and soften the onion over medium heat without letting it brown. To prevent it from frying or coloring, add a teaspoon of water from time to time.

Continue cooking until the onion is completely wilted and opaque, which should take about 10 minutes.

Add the peas to the pan along with enough water to just cover them. Season with 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt and 1/2 tsp ground pepper, then cook until tender. This will take 5 to 15 minutes for fresh peas (depending on their freshness and size) or about 10 minutes if you're using frozen peas.

Just before the peas are done, stir in the 100 g diced pancetta and 100 g ham, then turn off the heat.

Stir in the turmeric liquor (1/4 tsp turmeric in 2 ladles of water) and add the 200 g ricotta cheese, sieving it through a colander directly into the pan. The ricotta should melt into the cooking liquids, creating a creamy, golden sauce. Keep this warm while you prepare the pasta.

Meanwhile, cook the 400 g ditalini pasta according to the manufacturer's instructions on the package.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain it, but be sure to save some of the cooking pasta water. This starchy water is your secret weapon if the sauce seems a little too thick or dry later.

Immediately add the drained pasta to the sauté pan with the sauce. Toss everything together until the pasta is thoroughly coated. If the sauce looks a bit dry, add a splash of the reserved pasta water until it reaches your desired consistency.

Serve the ditalini at once, topped with grated Parmesan or Grana Padano cheese.