Pasta with Pea Cream and Culatello Ragù

Method

1. Finely chop a small piece of onion (preferably from Tropea).
2. In a pan, melt a knob of butter and sauté the onion until translucent.
3. Add fresh peas and a splash of water. Cook until tender, seasoning with a little salt (remember the culatello is salty) and pepper.
4. Once the peas are cooked, add fresh basil leaves and stir.
5. Let the peas cool slightly, then transfer to a blender. Add a few ice cubes or ice-cold water and fresh basil, then blend until smooth and vibrant green. Set the pea cream aside.
6. In the same pan, add another knob of butter and melt it. Add very thinly sliced culatello (cut into small strips or minced) and cook gently until the fat becomes translucent, not browned.
7. Deglaze with a splash of white wine and let it evaporate.
8. Add a ladle of pasta cooking water and turn off the heat. Add fresh thyme leaves and stir.
9. Cook the tagliolini in boiling salted water until al dente.
10. Transfer the tagliolini directly into the pan with the culatello. Add more pasta water as needed and toss vigorously to coat.
11. Add the pea cream to the pan and continue tossing until the pasta is well coated and creamy.
12. Plate the pasta. Finish with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano (just a light dusting) and a few fresh thyme leaves.
13. Serve immediately.