Roman Spring Pea and Prosciutto Pasta (Pasta al Piselli)

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Salt it generously — the water should taste distinctly salty.

Finely dice the white onion. Cut the prosciutto cotto into small cubes or strips about 1 cm wide.

Warm the olive oil and half the butter (20 g) in a wide, deep pan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until completely soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Do not let it brown.

Add the prosciutto cotto to the pan. Stir and cook for 2 minutes just to warm it through — you want it to absorb the onion flavour, not fry.

Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook according to the package, but pull it out 2 minutes before al dente. Add the peas to the pasta pot in the last 3 minutes of cooking.

Before draining, ladle out at least 350 ml (1½ cups) of starchy pasta water and set it aside. Drain the pasta and peas together.

Add the drained pasta and peas to the pan with the onion and prosciutto. Add the remaining 20 g butter and pour in about 120 ml (½ cup) pasta water. Toss well over medium heat.

Continue adding pasta water a splash at a time, tossing and stirring, until the sauce is loose and glossy with a little liquid pooling at the base — brodosa style. This takes about 2–3 minutes. You may use 200–250 ml total.

Remove from heat. Add the grated Pecorino Romano (or Parmesan) and toss vigorously until fully melted into the sauce. Taste and adjust salt; add a generous amount of freshly cracked black pepper.

Serve immediately in warmed bowls with a little extra cheese and black pepper on top. The dish should have visible liquid in the bowl — that is correct, not a mistake.