My friend Rosa comes from a long line of great Italian cooks in Hoboken, so when she posts an online picture of a dinner she’s made, I tend to pay attention.
One afternoon I saw that she had whipped up a classic version of creamy pasta and peas for her family. It just so happened that I had been toying around with this other goat cheese and lemon pasta recipe that was just not jiving, so I decided to marry the two.
reamy Cavatappi with Ham & Peas
2 cups cooked ham, slicked into thick matchsticks (I used some leftovers from a
spiral ham)
1 10-ounce package of frozen peas
1 pound dried Cavatappi or other pasta
2 lemons, zested and juiced
4 ounces goat cheese, softened
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, chives and mint
1 cup pasta cooking water, reserved
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to box directions. When the pasta has about two minutes left to cook, add the frozen peas to the pot, as well. When the pasta is al dente, drain, taking care to reserve a cup of the pasta cooking water.
Place the ham in a microwave safe container and heat for three to four minutes.
Leave the pasta and peas in the draining colander for a minute while you prepare the sauce. Place the lemon zest and lemon juice, goat cheese, honey and fresh herbs in the empty pasta pot along with the reserved one cup of the pasta cooking water. Whisk ingredients together until fully mixed.
Return the pasta and peas to the pot along with the ham, the Parmesan cheese and a very healthy dose of freshly ground black pepper. Toss together all ingredients and serve hot.
