Ingredients: (for 6)
- 1- 1/4 lbs pasta (or a bit less – use 1 lb of pasta for every 5 people) – use rigatoni or penne or bowtie pasta
- fresh peas (about 1- 1/2 c when shelled)
- fresh fava beans, if available (about 1 c. or more when shelled)
- 1 large onion, white or yellow olive oil – about 1 cup grated Parmesan or pecorino (sheep’s milk cheese – sharper than Parmesan and better, I think, for this dish)
- salt, pepper
- olive oil, about 1/4 c -or q.b. (i,e, “quanto basta” or “as much as you need”)
Finely-chop onion and sauté til golden (do not burn!) in olive oil. Add peas and fava beans and gently simmer, adding about 1 to 2 c. of hot water so that beans and peas start to cook down, though they should remain al dente (“to the tooth”, ie, chewy).
Add asparagus tips if garden asparagus – and if wild asparagus, add all of the stalk (breaking into pieces of about 1/4 inch til not possible to break, ie, til you reach the “tough” part at base). Simmer all vegetables til tender, though NOT mushy!
Serve over pasta which you have cooked in salted water til al dente, remembering to save the water when draining. If sauce needs more moisture, add a bit of the pasta water and or a bit of olive oil. Generously sprinkle with grated cheese, mix and serve.
Optional addition: zucchini, chopped into small pieces and sautéed in olive oil with beans, peas – but after the legumes have cooked a bit as zucchini will cook down much more quickly. You might wish to add some wild asparagus tips or about 6 – 8 stalks of garden asparagus cut into small pieces. Add to simmering fava beans and peas just before adding in the tomato sauce.