Parmesan, yes. Peas, sure. But pistachios and mint? I would never have thought that these two ingredients would be such an amazing combination with pasta. Turns out, it’s an incredible flavor pairing. The sweetness of the butter, the fresh mint and peas, the nutty pistachios, the salty parmesan–all the different tastes play off each other in a really interesting, delicious way. I really like that it takes only 10 minutes to make, too.
This genius recipe came to me from my aunt Mary Kay, a most talented and skilled chef, who first encountered this dish in a cooking class. I’m always glad to benefit from what’s she’s learned, and hope you enjoy this recipe too.
I love the hint of sweetness that the fresh mint adds.
Ingredients:
- 1 package of ricotta ravioli (if you can’t find ricotta, any kind of cheese ravioli will work well too)
- 4 tablespoons of butter, unsalted
- 1/3 cup of pistachios, toasted (if you can’t find toasted pistachios in the grocery store, put them on a baking sheet and throw them into the oven at 350° for 5 minutes or so, until you can just begin to smell them in the air–that means they’re done toasting)
- 1/2 cup of frozen peas
- 2 lemons, halved (to squeeze into the sauce)
- 1/3 cup of fresh mint, chopped
- 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, grated
- a hunk of parmesan cheese to make garnish ribbons out of
Directions:
- Bring 4 quarts of salted water to boil, and add the ravioli to the water. If you’re using store-bought ravioli, they should cook fairly quickly–sometimes only 4 minutes–so watch them carefully.
- In a pan large enough to comfortably fit the ravoli, heat the butter until foaming, then add the pistachios, peas and lemon juice.
I love all the different shades of green.
- Once the ravioli are cooked, toss them into the pan (no need to hit them with cold water) with the sauce ingredients.
Gently incorporate the past with the peas, pistachio, and mint so that the ravioli pockets don't break open.
- Turn off the heat and add the mint and grated parmesan. These should melt just with the residual heat of the pasta and pan.
- Finish with parmesan ribbons and bring to the table to enjoy!
Dear Santa: I would like all my presents wrapped in parmesan ribbons this year!
I can confirm from personal experience that this meal was delicious not only because of the ingredients and recipe but because of the tlc that went into the making of it.
Thanks Uncle Van!! It was a really fun and memorable meal, especially because you and Jacqueline were here! We miss you!