¼ pound ricotta salata
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt.
In a wide sauté pan*, bring the butter and the chicken stock to a
boil, stirring to create an emulsion. Season with salt and let it
reduce until it becomes creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes (there
should be about 1 cup of liquid still in the pan). Set aside.
Drop the cavatelli into the boiling water and cook for several
minutes. When they start to float, add the frozen peas to the pot
with the cavatelli. Cook for just a minute more, or until the
cavatelli are toothsome but cooked through.
Use a spider to lift the cavatelli and peas into the pan with the
butter and stock. Turn up the heat and give everything a toss,
adding the pesto and continuing to toss until the pasta and peas
are coated and there’s no more liquid on the bottom of the pan.
Taste for salt and season with pepper to taste.
Spoon into bowls and shave ricotta salata over the top. Serve
right away.
* There’s a lot of pesto in this; make sure you have enough to get
everything coated.* The wide pan helps with evaporation; otherwise, you’ll have
cavatelli soup!