Pasta with Peas and Lemon

I started cooking this pasta dish because of my love of frozen peas and my equally strong hatred of creating unnecessary dishes. 4 main ingredients, 1 pot, and it's done in as long as it takes to cook the pasta.
== Ingredients ==
* For 2 or 3 people:
** 1 lb short pasta, such as mezzi rigatoni, rotini or farfalle
** 1 bag frozen baby peas
** zest of 1 lemon
** Juice of 1/2 lemon
** parmesan or pecorino romano cheese (or any hard aged Italian cheese)
** butter
** olive oil
** salt
** pepper
To make this for 1, simply use 1/2 a box of pasta, 1/2 the bag of peas, omit the lemon juice (or add just a squirt) and go easy on everything else.
== Directions ==
# Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add a small handful of salt - it's very hard to over-salt pasta water.
# Meanwhile, roll the lemon between your hand and the counter to get the juice flowing, and zest it with a grater.
# Add the pasta to the boiling water.
# When it is about 6 minutes away from done, add the peas.
# When the pasta is done, drain it and the peas and return them to the pot.
# 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.
# Add a good pinch of salt (you can add more to taste later) about 10 grinds of pepper, and grate in as much cheese as you like—at least a handful.
# Stir vigorously, so that the cheese distributes instead of clumping.
# Taste and adjust seasoning.
# Consume!
== Variations ==
Try adding broccoli, pine nuts, or other flourishes for garnish and/or additional flavor.
Category:Pasta Recipes