Columbus Day is right around the corner, and as regular readers know, that’s the occasion each year for us to feature a classic Italian-American dish. This year we’re sharing an old family recipe, one that I’m sure will be familiar to many readers “of a certain age”: Peas and Eggs. A quick and inexpensive dish that recalls simpler—and leaner—times. Remember Clara Cannucciari’s Great Depression Cooking YouTube series, in which her grandson lovingly recorded the 90-plus-year-old Clara preparing the simple and inexpensive meals that had got the family through the hardships of that era? This is that kind of cooking.
The original Old World version of this dish, piselli cacio e uova, is a delight, but today we’re going to talk about the New World version. For once, the trip across the ocean did not make the dish more complicated or carnivorous—just the opposite, in fact—but one thing marks Peas and Eggs as Italian-American: the use of a humble convenience food, canned peas.
Foodies often turn up their noses at canned products, but they have their place, I think, in home cooking, particularly when it comes to legumes. And peas were among the first foods to be canned. In 1806 the legendary gastronomist Grimod de la Reynière wrote glowingly of the new-fangled product, noting that canned peas were “green, tender and more flavorful than those eaten at the height of the season.” I wouldn’t quite go that far, but Peas and Eggs, along with its close cousin, pasta e piselli, just wouldn’t taste quite right to me made any other way.
Ingredients
Serves 4-6
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- Olive oil
- 2 cans of peas
- 4-6 eggs (depending on size)
- 75g (3 oz) grated Parmesan cheese
- A few sprigs of parsley, finely chopped
- Salt and pepper
Directions
In a large braiser or saucepan, sauté the chopped onions gently in olive oil until they are very soft and translucent, taking care that they don’t brown. While the onions are braising, season them lightly with salt and pepper, and add a few drops of water from time to time—this will help them soften and prevents browning. Take your time, as the flavor of the dish depends in large part on coaxing the sweetness out of this soffritto of gently sautéed onions.
Pour the canned peas, together with its liquid, into the pot. Let them simmer gently for just a few minutes, to allow the flavors to meld.
While the peas are simmering, whisk the eggs together with the grated cheese and, if using, the parsley, in a mixing bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Turn up the heat a bit and add the egg mixture to the peas. Mix together with a wooden spoon or spatula until the eggs have formed soft curds and remove from the heat. The eggs will absorb the liquid the longer it cooks—you can let it cook longer for a ‘dry’ version, shorter for a ‘wet’ one, as you prefer.
Serve immediately, with some extra cheese sprinkled on top if you like, and perhaps a nice turn or two of freshly ground pepper.
Notes on Peas and Eggs
The Old World version of Peas and Eggs, piselli cacio e uova, calls for fresh or frozen peas instead of canned; instead of the canning liquid, some homemade broth is added to the peas as they simmer. Fresh peas will take a bit longer to cook than canned or frozen. The Tuscans add some pancetta to the soffritto, and rather than being scrambled, the eggs are gently opened and placed whole on top of the simmering peas to poach—very much like Eggs Florentine.
As mentioned, you can makes your Peas and Eggs dry or wet. And if you add broth to your Peas and Eggs, it turns itself into a rather nice soup as well. You might even go crazy and take it in another direction, adding ditalini or another smaller pasta shape, which makes for a fine pasta dish, a slightly richer version of pasta e piselli.
Peas and Eggs is a real poor man’s meal, but it really does taste better if you use those slightly more expensive, very young smaller peas, which are sweeter and more delicate in taste. And if you’re concerned about the BPA in canned products, some companies now use BPA-free cans, and others sell peas in jars.
Peas and Eggs is a hard dish to categorize. It could be a first course, especially if you make it on the soupy side, or a vegetarian second course, or even a side dish if you go easy on the egg. But to my mind, Peas and Eggs is interesting enough to be its own light dinner—a piatto unico, as they call it in Italian—served with a nice chunk of crusty bread and followed by a piece of fruit and perhaps a nice bit of aged cheese.
Finally, a special thanks to my Mom for sharing Angelina’s old recipe, which she still makes from time to time. Without her good memory, so many of these family recipes would have been lost by now!
Peas and Eggs (Piselli cacio e uova)
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- Olive oil
- 2 cans of peas
- 4-6 eggs depending on size
- 75 g 3 oz grated Parmesan cheese
- A few sprigs of parsley finely chopped
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a large braiser or saucepan, sauté the chopped onions gently in olive oil until they are very soft and translucent, taking care that they don't brown. While the onions are braising, season them lightly with salt and pepper, and add a few drops of water from time to time—this will help them soften and prevents browning.
- Pour the peas, together with its liquid, into the pot. Let them simmer gently for just a few minutes, to allow the flavors to meld.
- While the peas are simmering, whisk the eggs together with the grated cheese and, if using, the parsley, in a mixing bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Turn up the heat a bit and add the egg mixture to the peas. Mix together with a wooden spoon or spatula until the eggs have formed soft curds and remove from the heat. Serve immediate, with some extra cheese sprinkled on top if you like, and perhaps a nice turn or two of freshly ground pepper.
39 Comments on “Peas and Eggs (Piselli cacio e uova)”
Making this for a meatless Friday night dinner. Had this somewhere in my past and it just came to mind. I think it was an Italian aunt-in-law. Good memories! Simple but flavorful!
Yes indeed it is, Jennifer. Hope you liked it!
so simple yet so tasty! thank you 🙂
You’re welcome! And thank you for the kind words.
My mother made this but she would poach the eggs (liquid from peas and a little extra water) not add scrambled. Wasn’t a fan when I was a kid but would love it now. Thank you for bringing this memory back.
What an interesting take on peas and eggs. Sounds more elegant than this humble version. Glad I could bring those memories back.
Oh Frank The Peas and eggs I’ve eaten for years – it was my dad’s thing to make for breakfast! Dad used all kinds of veggies in his breakfast specialities, only a touch of garlic went in too!!
Broccoli, mashed potatoes, you name it if it was left in the fridge it would end up in breakfast! Never a wasted vegetable!
But the peas and eggs stand out in my mind as the best of the best!! I’d forgotten all about this dish till I saw the picture, thank you so much for the reminder and recipe! I’m going to give it a go for breakfast. Thanks!
Gloria
Interesting, Gloria! To be honest, I’d never think to make this dish for breakfast but why not? So true that this is an old-timey recipe that has been forgotten but it’s definitely worth reviving. So tasty!
my sicilian grand mother (nana)made eggs and peas and held them in plastic containers to bring to the beach. I specifically remember going to the ocean with empty glass jars to collect the water on the day the ocean waters were blessed. nana used the holwater in her second bedroom which was like a little church where she had statues or posters of the saints she prayed to. she would bless herself with the water before her prayers.we were also encouraged to bless ourselves and our beds every night before we went to sleep. one of the posters ( of san giacomo was painted in the 1600’s by my name sake giovanni Anastasi ( who you can google to see the painting.
You know, Angelina’s bedroom was very much like that,too. Holy water containers and saints everywhere. A little church would be a good way to describe it.
This exact recipe was usually made, as light fare, on Sunday evenings. Sunday’s big meal, [pasta], was served at 1PM. Always 1PM.
I prefer to eat lightly in the evenings, too.
My Grandmother and Mother made something very similar but also included potatoes,was just thinking about making this for a great Friday meal for lent
Very true, Theresa. Next time I may try this with potatoes. Thanks for the suggestion!
My great grandmother used to make this for me as a child. It’s a freezing day here in NYC and this dish sprang to my mind for some reason. I haven’t had it in over 20 years. My mother couldn’t recall it at all so I searched the internet but none of the recipes sounded quite right until I hit this one. Thank you so much for posting it. We lose a lot of our traditional food over the years and I’m so happy I can replicate this dish Nana always made me.
That’s fantastic, Alyssa. I love it when I can help people find old family recipes. Thanks for your message!
I have a deep, abiding affection for “poor cooking.” I have never come across this and will need to try it. Think with the frozen, tender ones. How wonderful to still be digging up these recipes. (Columbus Day went bye-bye this year in MN. It’s now “National Indigenous People’s Day. But I can still cooking Italian.)
Definitely worth a try, Claudia, whether you use canned or frozen or fresh, I guarantee you’ll like it. 🙂
Learned about yet another dish: both the Old World and New Vorld version!
You’re welcome. 😉 And thanks for stopping by!
Nice! I also have not had the pleasure to taste this dish. My mother had a small set of recipes for preparing peas and this was not one. Alas, since given my love for eggs, I think it may have been quite appealing and shortened my pea-disliking phase (which lasted until I was a teenager). I will definitely try making it.
P.S. I recently made and posted about Ecuadorian mote pillo and there are interesting similarities between the two dishes.
The similarity is intriguing, Simona. I guess there’s nothing truly new under the sun, just variations on old themes!
Wonderful. Prepared it with fresh peas and a bit of Verdicchio. Will add some panchetta next time.
Glad you liked it, Fred!
Thanks for sharing this recipe and your personal memories Frank. I never recall either of my grandmothers preparing this dish, but it seems like something they would have served their respective families.
I love peas and this combination is tasty and flavorful! It is a perfect vegetarian dish, rich in good nutrients! My mom makes something similar. Buon weekend
I’m sure your Mom’s version is delicious. 🙂
Frank, this is a combo I do not know, but it is sounds great. My mom and grandmother used to make all sorts of “… and egg” dishes, but they missed this one. I can’t imagine why because my mother’s absolute favorite canned item (we are talking the fifties here) was canned “petit pois.” Boy, but those tiny tender peas made an appearance on many a dinner table and were a part of absolutely every Thanksgiving and Christmas feast. Thanks fro sharing your memories, and thanks to your mom and Angelina also.
I guess those canned peas were part of many of our families, Adri!
Somehow, I have never heard of this combination. I’ve made zucchini with eggs and cheese. And agnello cacio e ‘ova is a classic Abruzzese dish. I don’t know if I can do the canned peas, though…Might have to substitute frozen!
Ah, yes, well no doubt frozen or fresh peas would produce a finer dish. But for me, you know how it is: once a taste memory gets imprinted in you mind, there’s no changing it.
nonostante abbia ormai una certa età questa ricetta non l’ho mai assaggiata, adesso non ho scuse devo farla al più presto Frank ! Buon weekend !
Grazie, Chiara! Fammi sapere se ti piace e buon weekend anche a te!
For years I only knew peas of the canned variety. When we first came to this country that is all that was available. Mamma would make this recipe and she always cooked her vegetables for a long time. Crunch did not exist in our household. My papa would not eat broccoli unless it was well cooked — the same went for everything else. Mamma was an excellent cook and everything she made was delicious. Your recipes bring back such sweet memories. Grazie!!
Glad I could bring back those fond memories, Marisa. It’s true about the old fashioned way with vegetables. And I actually think that we can learn from those old ways. Like broccoli—I agree with your papa that it tastes much better when it’s well cooked!
In Jewish Sephardi cooking,one adds bits of leftover chicken minus the Parmigiano.I remain grateful for your generous efforts Jiacomino Hazan
And I remain grateful for your readership, James! I will have to try the Sephardi version next time, it sounds lovely.
Nana would be proud of your memories. I share them.
🙂