Pasta con Fave e Piselli
L'Arte dell'Arrangiarsi: Weeknight Cucina Povera
This is the genuine taste of a Sicilian spring, engineered for an American Tuesday night. In the old country, making this dish was a family affair: grandparents and children sitting on the porch, shelling mounds of fresh legumes straight from the earth. While you likely don't have time for that after a long shift, the freezer aisle of the modern supermarket gives us a glorious cheat code. The magic here isn't a complex, simmering sauce. It’s a specific, old-school technique the grandmothers call scattiare—letting the beans and peas sizzle and blister in hot olive oil to concentrate their intense natural sweetness before they gently braise. Tossed with fresh mint and a flurry of salty, crumbly ricotta salata, it's a twenty-minute masterpiece of making do.
Before you start
Thaw the frozen legumes completely.
Ensure the peas and fava beans are thawed before they hit the skillet so they blister properly in the hot oil rather than steaming and dropping the temperature of the pan.
Ingredients
- short pasta1 lb
- extra virgin olive oil3 tbsp
- unsmoked pancetta1/4 cup
- scallions3 med
- garlic1 small clove
- frozen peeled fava beans1 1/2 cup
- frozen petite peas1 1/2 cup
- dry white wine1/4 cup
- vegetable broth1/2 cup
- fresh mint1/2 cup
- ricotta salata1/2 cup
- sea saltto taste
- black pepperto taste
Method
- 01
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil.
You will use this to cook the pasta in tandem with the vegetables.
- 02
Perfume the olive oil with the scallions, garlic, and optional pancetta.
Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-low heat. If using pancetta, render it for about three minutes until it just begins to crisp. Add the scallions and smashed garlic, sautéing gently until the scallions are translucent. Remove and discard the garlic clove before it browns—its only job was to season the oil.
- 03
Blister the favas and peas in the hot oil to concentrate their natural sugars.
Turn the heat to medium-high and add the thawed legumes directly to the pan without any liquid. Let them sizzle and fry for two to three minutes, tossing occasionally. This is the Sicilian trick of scattiare; the intense heat blisters the skins, locking in the starches and intensifying their sweetness.
- 04
Deglaze the skillet and slowly braise the vegetables.
Pour in the white wine, allowing the alcohol to evaporate completely. Add the hot vegetable broth, lower the heat to a gentle simmer, and cover the pan. Let the vegetables stew in umido for 8 to 10 minutes until tender but not mushy. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- 05
Boil the pasta until very al dente.
Drop the pasta into the boiling water while the vegetables braise. Cook it for two minutes less than the package directs, as it will finish cooking in the pan. Before draining, reserve at least one cup of the starchy cooking water.
- 06
Emulsify the pasta and braised vegetables over medium heat.
Transfer the drained pasta directly into the skillet with the favas and peas. Add a splash of the reserved pasta water and toss vigorously. The starches from the water will bind with the olive oil to create a light, creamy sauce that coats the noodles.
- 07
Finish with fresh mint and ricotta salata off the heat.
Remove the skillet from the heat entirely so the cheese doesn't clump. Scatter the torn mint leaves and half of the grated ricotta salata over the pasta, tossing actively until it melts into the sauce. Serve immediately with a drizzle of raw olive oil, a crack of black pepper, and the remaining cheese.
Notes
Pasta shape matters.
Use a short, tubular, or cupped pasta like ditali rigati, mezze maniche, or cavatelli. This allows the peas and fava beans to nestle perfectly inside the pasta, ensuring you get both in every bite.
The right cheese is non-negotiable.
Ricotta salata is a pressed, salted, and aged sheep's milk cheese that provides the definitive savory, milky finish of this dish. If you absolutely cannot find it, substitute a mild Pecorino Romano mixed with a little high-quality feta.
Sourcing fava beans.
Look for frozen, pre-peeled fava beans at Middle Eastern or Mediterranean markets. If you can only find unpeeled frozen favas, you must blanch them for one minute and slip off the tough outer skins before using.