Q.E.D.: Pastina and Peas with Herbs and Romano

Normally you put pastina in soups. I like it on its because it has a creamy texture similar to risotto, but lighter. It takes no time at all to cook and reheats really well. This is one of those curl-up-on-the-sofa dishes --  perfect light pasta dish for a chilly week night!

Notes: The only trick to cooking pastina on its own is that you can't drain it in a normal collander: it's too small and it will drain right through. I use a fine-mesh strainer to pull it out of the boiling water.

Use whatever herbs you like, just be sure you use fresh herbs rather than dried. Because there are so few ingredients in the dish, dried herbs just wouldn't be the same.

Ingredients:
1 box pastina (any shape you like -- I used stars)
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
2 or 3 garlic cloves minced
Dash red pepper flakes
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 a bag of frozen peas
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

Bring a stock pot of water to a boil. While your waiting for it to boil, chop your herbs and garlic.

Add the oil and butter to a large sauce pan and heat it on medium-low. Add the garlic, herbs, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. If they start to sizzle, turn your heat down.

Once your pasta water boils, add a small handful of salt and drop the pastina in. It should take between 4-5 minutes to cook.

When the pasta has 2 minutes of cooking time left, add your frozen peas. When the time is up, use a fine-mesh strainer to fish the pastina and peas out of the water. Add them to your warm oil and herb mixture.

Once all the pastina in in the pan, sprinkle in half the Romano cheese. Stir it in and then add the other half. Stir until everything together. Serve and sprinkle a little more cheese on top is you're feeling saucy. Enjoy!