Facebook's algorithm super sucks when you see a restaurant special advertised in the days following the special. WHY?! I totally would have gone to Il Giogiorne for this special had I seen it in time! The special in question is fresh fusilli tossed in saffron infused ricotta with pecorino romano and fresh mint. Yum, right?!
Instead of being down about it for very long, I looked up how to infuse ricotta with fresh saffron, and added those two ingredients to my upcoming grocery list. Plus I needed a cool pasta shape, and I wanted to add peas to this dish too. Peas in a cheesy pasta sauce always hits the spot for me, plus peas and mint are a fantastic pairing.
Ricotta Saffron Pasta with Peas
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons hot water
- 1 pinch saffron threads
- 11-12 ounces tube pasta, such as penne, rigatoni, gigli
- 1 cup frozen green peas
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 11 ounces full-fat ricotta cheese
- ½ to ¾ cup pecorino-romano cheese finely shredded
- salt and pepper to taste
- 10-15 mint leaves chopped
Instructions
- Heat the 3 tablespoons of water in the microwave (does not need to be boiling, just hot). Put the saffron in the hot water and set aside.
- Boil the pasta according to package directions.
- When there is about 5 minutes left in the pasta cooking time, add the frozen peas. Do not drain the pasta water before reserving ½ cup of it.
- Then immediately heat a large frying pan with the olive oil in it over medium low heat.
- When the oil is hot, add the saffron infused water.
- Scoop ½ cup of pasta water out of the pot the pasta is cooking in and add to the oil and saffron water. Mix in the ricotta and start stirring together. Do not turn the heat up any more.
- Once the ricotta, oil, and water has emulsified, add the drained pasta to the frying pan (or if the pan isn't large enough, add the cheese sauce to the larger pot the pasta was boiling in). Keep on medium low heat while stirring together.
- Add the pecorino cheese, reserving a few tablespoons for serving.
- Add chopped mint, salt, and pepper to taste. Top with additional pecorino cheese. and serve immediately.
I like to use tube shaped pasta because it's perfect for catching peas. I didn't have anything very tube-y, but I did have gigli pasta (now available at Trader Joe's!), which has a little curly cup at the top, perfect for holding peas to create the perfect bite.
Where can I buy saffron?
Most every grocery store should have saffron. I got mine at Trader Joe's. My Bi-Lo even has saffron, as should any Whole Foods, health food store, and Hispanic or Indian grocery store. Saffron is expensive per ounce, but a little goes a long way. From the small jar I got at Trader Joe's, I could easily make this dish three or four more times.
It takes 75,000 saffron flowers to make one pound of saffron spice. And it has to be done by hand. So yeah, enjoy the flavor, but also enjoy the work that went from getting it to a saffron field to your plate. Or, find out yourself and plant some saffron bulbs this fall! I just received a shipment of them from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, one of my favorite rare seed sources. This would make a fantastic addition to any home herb garden, elevating it from "Cool, who doesn't grow rosemary and oregano" to "Wow, you made this pasta with saffron you grew and harvested yourself?!"
Now that I know Il Giogiorne is back up and running, I'm going to get one of their specials soon, and probably will be inspired be it too! Make sure to continue to support your local independent restaurants during this time, and wear your mask when doing so.
Looking for more pasta recipes?
