Penne Mac&Peas (Spring Pea & Fava Bean Gratin) - Testing

https://www.latartemaison.it/2024/05/pasta-di-farro-con-crema-di-piselli-e-fave/

1 - First try with older peas and favas and mixed feelings. It smells and tastes good, but the sauce ends up being pasty. Oh, and the garnish is not very pleasant because the peas and fava are older. So, things to try? Omit the garnish except for the mint (which is good) and add a drizzle of olive oil. Pulse the pulses in a food processor to get a rough grind, not a smooth sauce - since the peas and fava are older their sugars are turning to starch, and apparently running them in a blender to achieve a smooth sauce releases more of the starch which makes it pasty. Either alternatively or additionally, add more pasta water, up to 3 cups (probably won't use it all). The sauce should look too loose before adding the pasta, I wonder if that's only if I try to get a smooth sauce again?

1.1 - I had the leftovers. I ended up baking it to warm it up, and it was amazing! So fragrant and delicious and the pastiness was not an issue at all. So I'm turning this into a gratin dish. If I need to refer to the original, there's always the Web Link above and Google Translate.

2 - I made the Mac&Peas for the first time, and it generally worked, with a few areas to build on. The first was not enough salt. Ben mentioned it, and I noticed one of my diners adding salt. The other is that the sauce was too pasty, too thick. I tried not to overblend the peas and beans, but I don't think that's the problem. I think I need to add more pasta water to get a good loose sauce going before baking it. The baking will cause the pasta to suck up more moisture. I'm increasing the salt from 1½ tsp. to 2 tsps. and reserving 4 cups of pasta water with the intention of using all of it or to get a very loose sauce going before baking. I also think the gratin dish is too small creating an overly thick strata of pasta-to-topping ratio, so I'll be using a lasagna dish next time; will I need to increase the breadcrumb mixture? I'd say this serves more than 4 people, I'd say more like 6 people.

Serves 6

2 (1oz/28gr) Tbsps butter

¾ cups (75g) panko breadcrumbs

1lb/454g penne rigate

4 cups reserved pasta water

300 g shelled fresh peas (older peas are good)

150 g shelled fresh broad (fava) beans (older are ok)

2–3 fresh spring onions (about 75g) or 75–100g shallots (Griselle preferred)

Zest of 1 lemon (about 7g) reserving a pinch for the topping

4–5 Tbsp. (40 to 50 grams) extra virgin olive oil, divided

2 tsp. salt, plus more for the pasta water

100 g + 20 g grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves (or about 2–3 Tbsp. finely chopped)

1. In a hot pan, melt 2 Tbsps of butter and mix in the breadcrumbs, stirring until evenly combined, and set aside.
2. Blanch the peas and broad beans for 5 minutes and peel the broad beans if they're older.
3. Bring the same water up to a boil and start the pasta and when it's almost done, reserve about 4 cups of the pasta water before draining. It'll cook more in the baking so it should be before al dente.
4. Sauté the spring onions in olive oil, or slowly sauté the shallots in the olive oil until lightly golden to enhance their sweetness.
5. Add the peas and beans to the pan and stir to combine.
6. Dump the pan of cooked alliums and pulses into a food processor and blend with the lemon zest, salt and enough starchy pasta water to make a smooth, creamy sauce.
7. Toss the pasta with the sauce, Parmesan and a pinch of the fresh mint, adding more pasta water as needed to achieve a very loose sauce.
8. Pour the pasta mixture into a lasagna dish and level.
9. Combine the buttered breadcrumbs with the 20g of Parmesan, the fresh mint and the leftover pinch of lemon zest.
10. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the surface.
11. Bake in the oven at 350°F for 20 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling and the top is toasted and golden. If you want the top to brown a bit more, put it under the broiler for a couple of minutes.