Pea pasta with ricotta and lemon zest
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Ricotta needs a little pasta water to become a sauce. Add the water gradually off the heat rather than boiling the cheese in the pan. Peas supply sweetness and small bursts of texture among the pasta curls.
For 2 servings, use 180g dried fusilli, 150g frozen peas, 120g ricotta, 1 tablespoon olive oil, zest of ½ lemon, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and black pepper. Contains milk and wheat; check pasta for egg or other allergens.
Cook pasta according to its packet. Cook peas thoroughly in a separate saucepan following their packet, then drain. Before draining pasta reserve 150ml cooking water. Whisk ricotta with oil, lemon zest and 3 tablespoons warm pasta water in a wide bowl.
Fold hot pasta and peas through the ricotta, adding more reserved water a spoon at a time until lightly coated. Add lemon juice, taste and season if needed. Serve immediately, allowing 20 minutes. It thickens while standing. Cool leftovers promptly, refrigerate within 2 hours and use within 48 hours or a shorter ricotta instruction; reheat once with water until steaming hot throughout.