April 11, 2018
Italians have knack for combining a modest array of vegetables into an almost endless cannon of dishes, each of which is distinctive, even if the interrelationships of the various parts are obvious.
This dish of peas cooked in tomato sauce is from my husband’s paternal grandmother, Amerina Pieri.
I learned to make this from my mother-in-law, Marisa, Amerina’s daughter-in-law.
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Everyone who makes it adds his or her own signature. Mine is not exactly like my mother-in-law’s and I’m sure hers is not just like Zia (Aunt) Ida’s, Amerina’s daughter.
Interestingly, Nonni (as we all called her) used canned peas. In talking with my father-in-law (who grew up eating this) and my mother-in-law, they were pretty sure Nonni would not have used canned peas in Italy unless she possibly canned them herself. Somehow canned peas became the norm in America.
And, while canned peas produce a pretty good dish, I prefer something a little fresher. Because really good fresh peas are available for only a few weeks a year at the Farmers Market in Santa Fe, I usually use frozen peas.
If the frozen peas haven’t been in your freezer so long that they start to dry out and freeze into a block they are superior to “fresh” peas except during the few weeks a year when they are really locally-grown and truly fresh.
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My mother-in-law usually uses canned tomato sauce when making this, as did Nonni (at least when she made it on this side of the Atlantic Ocean!).
I use tomato paste and water. If you read the ingredient lists on cans of tomato sauce that you can buy in the United States, you will find that most are made from tomato paste and water, so why not just do it yourself? Those few brands of tomato sauce that are not made from diluted tomato paste are a little too sour for my taste. I would opt for a good-quality tomato puree instead.
Tomato paste has a richer flavor than tomato sauce or tomato puree. I attribute this to the extra cooking that is needed to concentrate the tomatoes. Those little cans provide the foundation of a taste that could otherwise only be achieved with hours of simmering.
Homemade tomato puree would be another good option if you want a fresher, more summery taste. Here’s where you can find my recipe.
If you have a favorite family recipe and a bit of a story to tell, please email me at santafecook@villasentieri.com and we can discuss including it in the blog. I am expanding the scope of my blog to include traditional recipes from around the country and around the world. If you haven’t seen Bertha’s Flan or Melinda’s Drunken Prunes, take a look. They will give you an idea of what I’m looking for.
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 75 minutes |
| Servings |
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- 1 pound frozen petit peas
- 1/2 onion finely diced
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 sage leaves minced
- 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 1 x 6 ounce can tomato paste
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 bay leaf
- Pinch rosemary fresh or dry, optional
- Pinch Pinch dry oregano optional
- salt to taste
- black pepper freshly ground to taste
Ingredients
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- Sauté the onion, garlic, sage, parsley and ½ teaspoon of salt in the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan till the onion is translucent.
- Add the wine and cook, stirring frequently, until it evaporates.
- Add the tomato paste and sauté until it becomes slightly darker, 3-4 minutes.
- Add the water, sugar, bay leaf, rosemary, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Simmer, partially covered, until thickened, approximately 45 minutes.
- Adjust seasoning.
- Rinse the frozen peas under cool water to remove any ice crystals.
- Add the frozen peas to the sauce.
- Simmer approximately 15 minutes, adjusting seasoning once again, if needed.
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I enjoyed reading your piselli recipe very much, and that is why I am turning to you to see if you can help me with my problem.
This is the first time I have made pasta piselli. My mom died two years ago and she was truly a chef de cuisine and I her sous chef so, I never really made the piselli–one of my favorite dishes. In following my mom’s recipe, which is almost identical to your husband’s Nonna’s, I found the pasta drank up almost all the sauce (we like it soupy) and I can’t for the life of me remember what my mother did to compensate for i when we went to eat it the next night’s meal.
I was wondering if you had any suggestions as to what I can add to “red” piselli to increase the amount of sauce, or make it soupy again?
A can of V8 original
Hi Marie,
It is not unusual for pasta to continue to absorb liquid after it is cooked. I generally loosen the sauce with something simple like water or broth, if the broth fits into the flavor profile of the dish. I don’t add more tomato or other “saucy” ingredients.
The pasta will still be much softer after being refrigerated than it was when initially served but you can definitely loosen the sauce to the right consistency with water or broth.
Please let me know how this works out for you.
My mother made this dish but before cooking the peas she would cook sweet Italian sausage cut in 2 inch pieces cook in sauce till well done and then add white pearl onion till they were cooked soft and then add peas if caned cook till hot also she would add half teaspoon fennel.
I really like the sound of that!!
That sounds delicious.
My grandmother, who was Syrian, and cooked for my Italian grandfather, learned well from her mother in law.
Grandma would sear sausage, pork ribs, meatballs, bracciale in a frying pan and finish cooking them in the sauce. It was wonderful!
We all try to reach her standards and come pretty close. She had a separate pan with sauce and peas to accomodate those, like my sister, who detests peas.
Happy eating & enjoy the memories!
Thank you for this wonderful recipe!