- 1 cup shelled fresh or frozen peas
- 1/2 pound farfalle (bow-tie pasta)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
- 2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped fine (a generous 1/3 cup)
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan plus additional for serving
- Fill a 5-quart kettle to within 1 inch of top with salted water and bring to a boil for peas and pasta. Into kettle fit a large sieve so that its bottom is submerged in several inches of boiling water. Add peas to sieve and boil until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove sieve, keeping water at a boil, and rinse peas under cold water. Drain peas and transfer to a small bowl.
- In a blender purée 2/3 cup peas with mint, zest, 1/2 cup hot cooking water from kettle, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Ladle out 1/4 cup cooking water, reserving it, and drain pasta in a colander. Return pasta to kettle with pea purée, prosciutto, 2 tablespoons Parmesan, and remaining 1/3 cup peas and heat over moderate heat, stirring and thinning mixture to desired consistency with reserved cooking water, until heated through. Season pasta with salt and pepper.
- Serve pasta with additional Parmesan on the side.