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Pasta with Peas and Lemon

A simple pasta dish with peas, lemon zest, butter, olive oil, and cheese.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Lemon and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,047 recipes. Both carry trans-2-nonenal, which smells cardboard, fatty. The science ↓

Pasta with Peas and Lemon

serves 2 or 3

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

  2. Add a small handful of salt.

  3. Add the pasta.

  4. When it is about 6 minutes away from done, add the peas.

  5. Roll the lemon between your hand and the counter to get the juice flowing.

  6. Zest the lemon with a grater.

Finish the dish

  1. When the pasta is done, drain it and the peas and return them to the pot.

  2. Add about 2 tablespoons of butter and a bit of olive oil, and the lemon zest. Stir vigorously to help the butter melt and coat the cheese.

  3. Add a good pinch of salt.

  4. Add about 10 grinds of pepper.

  5. Grate in as much cheese as you like - at least a handful. Stir vigorously so that the cheese distributes instead of clumping.

  6. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

857Calories
37 gProtein
53 gFat
61 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 10 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Pasta1 cup cooked (140g)220
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Romano Cheese1 oz (28g) cheddar113
Cheese1 oz (28g) cheddar113
Parmesan Cheese1 oz (28g)110
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Pea1/2 cup (72g)62
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Lemon + peppertop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together27,047 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

  2. Pasta + olivetop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,227 recipes

    Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).

  3. Pasta + lemontop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together565 recipes

    Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).

  4. Lemon + olivetop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together11,922 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

  5. Olive + peppertop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together30,263 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Short pasta
Provides the main structure and bulk, and holds the sauce in its shape and ridges.
Butter
Adds richness and helps coat the pasta and cheese into a smooth, glossy sauce.
Parmesan or pecorino romano cheese
Adds salty, savory depth and, when stirred in, helps thicken and bind the sauce.
Frozen baby peas
Add sweetness, color and a fresh, tender bite to the pasta.
Lemon
Zest adds bright aroma and juice adds acidity that lifts the richness of the butter and cheese.

The step that matters

Stir the cheese in vigorously. Grated cheese clumps when it hits hot starch and fat unevenly. Vigorous stirring with the butter and pasta water-based moisture spreads the cheese evenly, so it melts into a smooth coating instead of stringy lumps.

Swap the lemon

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pasta, romano cheese, butter, olive, pepper):

  1. Lemonthe original
  2. Avocadofits about as well
  3. Plumfits less well
  4. Cherryfits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against pasta, romano cheese, butter, olive, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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