Piselli con la stracciatella

An easy but delicious pea and egg dish from Puglia

Peas and eggs are one of those flavor combinations that were just meant to be. In this take on the classic pairing from Puglia, called piselli con la stracciatella, you simmer your peas in a flavor base of onion and pancetta until tender, then finish the dish by stirring in beaten egg mixed with grated pecorino cheese and breadcrumbs. The egg mixture forms savory golden flecks that complement the sweet green peas perfectly.

It’s one of the easiest and most versatile dishes you can imagine, and it goes with just about any meat main course or even fish if you like. It works equally well as a side dish or antipasto. And in larger portions and perhaps with a bit more egg, you could even serve piselli con la stracciatella as a light main course.

By the way, don’t let the stracciatella in the name mislead you. There is no stracciatella cheese here, nor obviously any ice cream, either. Rather like the Roman soup of the same name, stracciatella refers to the egg mixture, which after cooking resembles little rags (the word “straccio” being Italian for rag). Well, at least if you use your imagination…

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Risi e bisi (Venetian Rice and Peas)

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Agnello e piselli (Lamb and Peas)

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