Peas and eggs are one of those flavor combinations that were just meant to be. In this take on the classic pairing from Puglia, called piselli con la stracciatella, you simmer your peas in a flavor base of onion and pancetta until tender, then finish the dish by stirring in beaten egg mixed with grated pecorino cheese and breadcrumbs. The egg mixture forms savory golden flecks that complement the sweet green peas perfectly.

It’s one of the easiest and most versatile dishes you can imagine, and it goes with just about any meat main course or even fish if you like. It works equally well as a side dish or antipasto. And in larger portions and perhaps with a bit more egg, you could even serve piselli con la stracciatella as a light main course.

By the way, don’t let the stracciatella in the name mislead you. There is no stracciatella cheese here, nor obviously any ice cream, either. Rather like the Roman soup of the same name, stracciatella refers to the egg mixture, which after cooking resembles little rags (the word “straccio” being Italian for rag). Well, at least if you use your imagination…

Ingredients

Serves 4-6 as a side dish

500g (1 lbs) shelled peas, fresh or frozen
50g (2 oz) pancetta, diced
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 dl (1/2 cup) water
olive oil

For the stracciatella:

2 eggs
2 heaping Tbs freshly grated pecorino cheese
2 heaping Tbs breadcrumbs
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Mix the eggs, breadcrumbs, grated cheese, freshly ground black pepper and a tiny pinch of salt in a small mixing bowl. Let sit until needed.

In a large skillet or braiser, sauté the pancetta and onion gently in olive oil until the onion is soft and translucent.

If using fresh peas: Add the peas and water to the skillet, give them a stir and let them simmer, covered, over moderate heat for 10-15 minutes, or until the peas are tender. Uncover and let any liquid cook off over a lively flame.

If using frozen peas: Add the peas and water to the skillet, then toss them over a lively flame for 2-3 minutes, making sure that all the liquid has cooked off.

When the peas are done, add the egg mixture to the pan. Stir until well incoporated and the eggs lightly scrambled.

Serve right away.

Notes on piselli con la stracciatella

As you can see, the recipe is a quick and easy one. Other than perhaps overcooking the peas, there aren’t many ways to trip up,

The one slightly tricky part is the finish. You do need to stir the stracciatella egg mixture into the peas pretty vigorously so they form those little “rags” and don’t clump up into large chunks of egg. It’s also good idea to let the stracciatella rest for a few minutes before adding it to the peas. This lets the mixture amalgate and the breadcrumbs soften a bit as they absorb the egg. But otherwise, the dish is really a breeze.

You can prepare piselli con la stracciatella with either fresh or frozen peas. Unless I’m lucky and find some truly fresh young peas at my local farmers market, I always go for frozen. I find them sweeter and plumper than any fresh peas you can find in a supermarket. And they take almost no time to cook.

As for the onions: fresh spring onions are best if you can find, them, but otherwise an old fashioned yellow one would do just fine. Or sub in shallots, which add a lovley sweetness.

Variations

Like so many Italian recipes, the measurements for piselli con al stracciatella can vary quite a bit. Some recipes call for fewer or more eggs, cheese, breadcrumbs, and so on than you see here. Or for more or less pancetta. For me, the measurement given above work well for me, but once you’ve tried it, feel free to modify the recipe to suit your own taste.

Some recipes omit the breadcrumbs. Others substitute parmigiano-reggiano for the pecorino or use a mix of the two. Some even add a bit of tomato as well, added to the onion and pancetta soffritto and cooked down before you add the peas. In some recipes you leave add some—or even a lot—more liquid, which produces a brothy dish more like a soup or stew.

And if you prefer a meatless dish, just omit the pancetta. And perhaps top the dish with more grated cheese.

For regular readers—and Italian-Americans of a certain age—piselli con la stracciatella will probably remind you of an old time Italian-American dish we featured a few years ago called Peas and Eggs. This dish is quite similar, but a few subtle changes make a big difference in the end result.

Making ahead and leftovers

Piselli con la stracciatella is such a quick and easy dish it hardly seems necessary to make it ahead. But if you want, you can. You might want to slightly undercook the peas so they don’t overcook on reheating. For best results, prepare the stracciatella egg mixture and reserve. Rehead the peas and as soon as they’re nice and hot, add the stracciatella and finish the dish just before serving.

Leftovers make a very nice dressing for pasta. Just reheat the peas in a skillet or sauté pan, add your cooked pasta—preferably tubetti or some similar small shape—along with a ladeful of the pasta cooking water and, if you like, a spoonful or two of grated pecorino. Toss until the water has cooked off and pasta is well coated. Serve hot topped with more grated cheese.

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