Pasta with Peas and Lemon

I started cooking this pasta dish because love of frozen peas and my equally strong hatred of creating unnecessary dishes. 4 main ingredients, 1 pot, and it's done in as long as it takes to cook the pasta.


 * For 2 or 3 people:
 * 1 lb short pasta, such as mezzi rigatoni, rotini or farfalle bag frozen baby peas
 * zest of 1 lemon
 * Juice of 1/2 lemon
 * parmesan or pecorino romano cheese (or any hard aged Italian cheese)
 * butter
 * olive oil
 * salt
 * pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add a small handful of salt - it's very hard to over-salt pasta water. Add the pasta. When it is about 6 minutes away from done, add the peas.

Meanwhile, roll the lemon between your hand and the counter to get the juice flowing, and zest it with a grater.

When the pasta is done, drain it and the peas and return them to the pot. Add about a 2 tablespoons of butter and a bit of olive oil, and the lemon zest. Stir vigorously to help the butter melt and coat the cheese. Add a good pinch of salt (you can add more to taste later) about 10 grinds of pepper, and grate in as much cheese as you like - at least a handful. Stir vigorously, so that the cheese distributes instead of clumping. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Consume!


 * To make this for one, simply use 1/2 a box of pasta, 1/2 the bag of peas, omit the lemon juice (or add just a squirt) and go easy on everything else.