This will be a delicious Spring dish when that long awaited season arrives and Spring peas make their first appearance, but I had a package of peas in my freezer whose time had come and I thought that they would make a nice sauce and came up with this one, which worked out really well.
Peas are often served with mint, which is a lovely combination but one which often makes the peas a bit too sweet for my taste. I used dill and Italian parsley which worked very well in this sauce, but you could use any combination of your favorite herbs with this. I am usually not a stickler for which pasta is used, but here I feel that angel hair is the only way to go. There is something about their gossamer texture that made the sauce taste even better. I also appreciated the fact that the sauce tasted silky and creamy but was actually a really healthy one -- no cheese or cream needed.
Last but not least, if you do not have preserved lemon in your arsenal yet, you really should make some (recipe, here.) I use this ingredient constantly and really appreciate its versatility from guacamole to tuna salad, to dressings and sauces for fish and chicken.
4 portions uncooked angel hair pasta (pasta portions are subjective so I tend not to be exact when writing recipes that contain pasta)
1 lb package frozen peas
1/3 cup pea shoots or baby spinach leaves for additional color and to cut some of the sweetness of the peas as well
1 Tbsp chopped preserved lemon
2 Tbsps dill
1 Tbsp Italian parsley
1 - 2 cloves garlic, depending on how much you like it and how strong the garlic you have is
4 eggs
Place a pan of salted water on the stove. Add the cloves of garlic and cook until the water comes to a rolling boil.
While the water is heating, add the peas, straight from the freezer, to your blender, along with the rest of the ingredients, except the eggs.
As soon as the water boils, remove the garlic cloves and add them to the blender as well. Measure 1/2 cup of the boiling water into the blender as well.
Add the pasta to the pan of boiling water and set a timer for one minute less than the cooking time on the side of the package. For angel hair pasta this should be about 4 minutes.
While you were organizing the angel hair pasta, the boiling water should have softened the peas enough that you can blend the mixture in the blender into a very smooth and vibrant green paste.
Prepare the eggs for easy poaching as described here, and place in the microwave, waiting to go. I usually press "cook" right before I drain the pasta and the timing is perfect. If cooking 4 at once, you may have to cook for an additional 60 to 90 seconds. I suggest that you do this in 30 second increments; you will know the egg is ready when the white is nearly congealed and the yolk still runny. Sitting in the hot water for an additional minute with firm the rest of the egg white up. Or you can poach the eggs in the traditional manner before cooking the pasta and set them aside until needed.
Drain the pasta, first reserving a cup of the cooking liquid.
Add the pea sauce to the now empty pasta pan and heat through on low. As soon as the sauce starts to bubble up around the edges, tip in the pasta and 1/3 cup of the cooking water. Stir well to finish cooking the pasta and to ensure that each strand of pasta is covered with sauce. If the sauce is still too thick, add a bit more of the cooking water.
Turn off the heat under the pasta dish and drain the poached eggs. Quickly pat dry, or lay on a clean tea towel to remove any water.
Divide the pasta among four bowls, and top each one with a poached egg. When you cut into the egg, the velvety yolk will run down into the pasta, combining with the pea sauce. That being said, as illustrated below, if you are not a fan of eggs or if you prefer a vegetarian option, you can simply omit the eggs and have the pasta as is. L. asked that crunchy slab bacon lardons be added to his dish, which he seemed to enjoy. I liked mine as is but, should I wish to gild the lily further, I think some chopped smoked salmon would be great with this though between the preserved lemon and the smoked salmon, the dish might get a bit salty.
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