This corzetti pasta salad is easy to make and perfect for picnics (kids love it, too!). It actually tastes better if made ahead so that flavors can mingle. Lemon zest can be substituted with orange.
Corzetti pasta salad with peas, mint and lemon
Ingredients (serves 4):
For the dough:
300 gr flour
2 eggs*
100 gr dry white wine (can be replaced with cold water)
1 pinch of salt
For the sauce:
200 gr fresh peas
2 organic lemons
fresh mint leaves
extra virgin olive oil
black pepper
salt
Start by preparing the dough: sift the flour into a bowl, then add the eggs, the wine (or water) and the salt, combining to a firm dough (if it’s too crumbly, add some extra white wine or water). Knead the dough for about 10 minutes, then cover in plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.
In the meantime, bring a pan of salted water to a boil, then add the fresh peas and bleach them a few minutes until tender but not mushy. Drain the peas in a colander, then set aside.
Now roll the dough out (it should not be extremely thin) and use your corzetti stamp to cut the corzetti. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until just tender but still al dente (about 6 minutes).
Add the corzetti to the peas and season with black pepper, lemon zest and some fresh mint leaves. Drizzle with good-quality extra virgin olive oil. Toss until all the ingredients are well combined.
Serve this corzetti pasta salad warm or at room temperature: remember to let it sit out at room temperature for at least one hour.
*Back in the days, several pasta shapes (including croxetti) were egg-less: to make a vegan corzetti pasta dish, omit the eggs and add more water/white wine.