Rice macaroni with fresh peas and porcini

People usually remember their first date, or first kiss. I don't... speaking of a heartless lover.

But I remember my first pasta in my first trip to Rome: fettuccine with peas and mushroom, tossed with a small amount of creamy sauce. Not because I need to write this post to say this, but it is true, I remember every flavor of it!

Today, I prepare a similar dish except being lighter - both in fat content and taste (by the way back then was in the mid winter) as now it's spring, by the Mediterranean Sea Coast. The whole dish is only binded by olive oil, sea salt and grated Grana Padano. That is it.

But I insist, use fresh green peas. Frozen peas are still beautiful, but they are also heartless lover...

Seems to me rice pasta are getting more more popular. To me, its texture can be more al dente, but it is much less pleasant to taste if overcooked when compared to over-cooked regular pasta.

Recipe of rice macaroni with fresh peas and porcini (based on 1 serving)

• rice macaroni
• a handful of fresh peas
• 5 good slices of dry porcini
• 1 small shallot, finely diced
• a small handful of grated grana panado
• olive oil
• sea salt
• parsley leaves

How-to:

• Soak porcini with some water for 20 minutes. Diced the mushroom, but save all the water.
• Bring a big pot of water to boil, add a good pinch of salt, cook rice macaroni, but better to taste its done-ness a few minutes before the recommended timing.
• In another smaller pot, bring some water to boil, add a pinch of salt, cook the peas for 1 minutes or less, drain. Set aside.
• In a skillet, pre-heat olive oil, saute shallot and porcini over medium-low heat for a few minutes, then raise up the heat, stir in pasta, sea salt and the porcini water if necessary, after a min or so. Right before you scoop it on plate, quickly toss in peas, grate cheese and parley.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------