A Variation: Cacio e Pepe with Peas and Tomatoes

Serving size:  4

Principal Components:

• 1 box (1lb) thin spaghetti noodles, dry

Elements:

• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup black olives, sliced
• 1 can peas
• 3 roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 4 medium sweet peppers, seeded and sliced thin

Essence:

• 1 tbs butter
• 3 tbs virgin olive oil
• 1 cup white cooking wine
• 1 cup cream
• 2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese (leaving some for garnish)
• salt
• pepper

This is a variation of the Italian pasta dish, Cacio e Pepe, or Cheese and Pepper, which are the prime ingredients, but I wanted to bring some vegetables and color to the dish.  I do prefer frozen peas I can steam and add while cooking like Steamfresh brand, but most households have canned peas in their pantries so I just went with that.  I would've put other vegetables in the dish, such as asparagus, mushrooms, and artichokes, but to be honest, I didn't have any in my fridge at the time of cooking.

Are you ready?

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.  You can prep the elements while you wait for the water to boil, as well as while the pasta is cooking.  But don't overcook the pasta, as it will continue to cook once you add it to the rest of the dish. Occasionally stir the pasta;  Al dente for thin spaghetti is about 6 minutes.  Rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process, drain and set aside.

As the pasta is boiling, melt the butter and 1 tbs olive oil in a large, high rimmed saucepan at medium high.  Add the garlic and sauté for a minute.  Add olives, sweet peppers, peas and pasta with the cooking wine and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium.  Immediately add the cream, 2 tbs olive oil, tomatoes and 3/4 cup of parsley and toss together until cream thickens with the heat.  Finally add the parmesan cheese, tossing with salt and pepper to taste.

For garnish top with a small amount of parmesan cheese and leftover parsley.