Bek's Table: Sugar Snap Pea and Bacon Pasta

This recipe is adapted from the cookbook, “Six Season” by Joshua McFadden. If you have a vegetable garden, or would love to eat more veggies that are in season, run, don’t walk and get yourself a copy!

Sugar Snap Pea and Bacon Pasta (Serves 4)

Peppery Butter

1 TB fresh ground pepper

⅓ cup finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese

⅓ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1 stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.

Set aside to use later in the recipe.

The Pasta:

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 slices of thick cut bacon

Extra-virgin olive oil

16 oz. box of spaghetti, fettuccini or linguine

1 pound of sugar snap peas

Peppery Butter (above recipe)

Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated

Cut off any tough ends and pull the strings off the peas. Then slice the peas into very thin strips.

Slice the bacon into thin strips and cook them in a skillet till they are beginning to get crunchy. Remove from the heat and take the bacon pieces out and drain on paper towel.

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil and add enough salt to make it taste like the ocean. When the water begins to boil again, add the pasta. Follow the directions on your pasta package until the pasta is almost al dente. When the pasta is almost ready, add the snap peas to the pasta pot.

Reserve about a  ½ cup of the pasta water to use later. Then drain the pasta and peas. Put back into the pot and add the Peppery Butter to the hot pasta. Toss it well to incorporate. Add in some of the reserved pasta water to help create a creamy sauce. Then add the bacon to the pasta.

Taste and add more pepper or salt if you think it needs it.

Sprinkle some grated Pecorino Romano cheese on top and serve!