Smothered peas make savory pasta sauce

Lengthy cooking gives the legumes more of a comfort food appeal.

It had been so ingrained in me to cook peas minimally, until bright green and just tender, that it felt almost taboo to let them simmer so far past that point when I first tried it. But I stayed the course, because I knew what was needed to capture the essence of the dishes I enjoyed in Italy when I visited several years ago at peak pea season.

Yes, the occasional bright green pea popped up in dishes I had there, but I was taken aback by how the norm in homes and trattorias I visited was to cook the vegetable until it was ultrasoft and olive green, until it began to collapse and developed a deeper sweetness with a robust, savory dimension. Cooking the peas this way gave them more of a comfort food appeal, very much in line with the way vegetables are “smothered” in American Southern cooking. Their taste reminded me of how my mom served cooked peas when I was growing up, which I am guilty of chiding her for as old-fashioned. (Sorry, mom.) It took that trip to Italy to realize I absolutely love them this oldschool way.

In this dish, peas (fresh or frozen) are simmered in broth with sautéed onion and whole smashed garlic cloves until the vegetable is very soft and a deeper shade of green. With the coaxing of a spoon crushing them a bit as they cook, they gradually transform into a sumptuously savory pea sauce for pasta. Once the garlic has cooked in the sauce and released a good amount of its flavor, I like to pluck it out for use later in dressing or to spread on toast. But if you want the sauce to be more garlicky, feel free to mash the cloves right into it. Add the slightly undercooked pasta — I use whole grain, but regular is fine, too — to the skillet with a splash of starchy cooking water to loosen the sauce, and toss everything in the skillet until the pasta is al dente and nicely coated.

Served with ribbons of basil and a shower of sharp pecorino Romano (or Parmesan, if you prefer,) this delightful spring meal will open your eyes to a new way of cooking peas, one that’s been around for generations.