I threw this together here in the stew the Monday after the Thanksgiving weekend when the mere mention of eating anything leftover from the holiday elicited instant stankface. It is a variation of the traditional marriage of pasta with peas and ham (usually prosciutto) which is often served in a cream sauce.
Here I omit the salty ham and replace it with a little smoked cheese and replace the cream with a can of Hunt’s tomatoes. The result is a much lighter dish with a wonderful smokey punch – a delightful reprieve from turkey ten ways.
What You’ll Need
2 – 12 ounce packages of frozen Cavatelli
1 – 15 ounce can of Hunt’s diced tomatoes (any variety)
1 medium onion – sliced thin
2 cloves of garlic – peeled and chopped small
1 – 8 ounce package of smoked cheese (Smoked Mooz, Gouda, or Provolone all work)
1 – 10 ounce package of frozen peas
Olive oil
Salt & Ground Black Pepper
What to Do
Fill a large pot about ¾ full with clean cold water. Set it on a high heat and bring to a boil.
While the water is heating up put a couple of glugs of olive oil into a fry pan and put a medium heat under it. Add the sliced onions and fry until they start to brown up nice (about 5 – 7 minutes). Add the chopped garlic and fry another minute. Throw in the can of tomatoes and the frozen peas. Mix it all together then reduce the heat a little and bring to a gentle simmer.
When the pot of water comes a rolling boil add a generous pinch of salt and dump in the two packages of cavatelli. DO NOT REDUCE THE HEAT. Cook the cavatelli on high heat, stirring frequently, for about 8 minutes – you should see them start to float to the surface.
Drain the cavatelli into a colander then immediately* return them to the pot. Add the simmering tomatoes and peas to the pot with the cavatelli and stir it all up good.
Dice the smoked cheese into small squares and throw it into the pot. Mix it up one more time. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Serves 4: My Cost: Approx $ 8.00 total – about $ 2.00 per serving.
*And this brings us to the age old argument of whether or not to rinse the macaroni after cooking. Pasta purists consider rinsing a capital offense, so if you’re a rinser it’s best to keep it to yourself so as to not risk friendships. However, I do feel the best approach is this… if you’re going to eat right away don’t rinse. If you’re going to wait awhile before eating so that you can have it all done and get in on the cocktail hour, rinse the macaroni under cold water and leave it covered until you’re ready to sauce it. – GMN