Creamy Penne With Peas And Bacon

My son Danny had a pasta dish in a restaurant in New York City that he really loved.  He described the dish to me and begged me to recreate it.  When I was on my way home from work yesterday,  Danny called me and asked me if I’d make it for him when I got home.  I stopped in the supermarket, picked up a few ingredients, and I made this after a really tough day at work.  So that tells you that it was really easy to make!  We loved it!  The sauce is sort of a combination of an alfredo and carbonara sauce. This pasta dish is light, and slightly rich.  It makes a great main course served with only a salad.  

• 1 pound pasta (recommended are penne, bowties, or campagnelle)
• 1 cup light cream (may substitute half and half)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons light olive oil
• 1 box (10 ounces) frozen peas, thawed
• 2 shallots, halved and sliced thinly
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup freshly grated romano or parmesan cheese
• 4 slices bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces (optional) 
• crushed red pepper flakes to taste
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Set a large pot of salted water to a boil.  In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium flame until crisp.  With slotted spoon, take bacon out and drain on paper towels; set aside.  Pour bacon grease out. 

Put butter in skillet with olive oil over a low flame.  Saute the shallots.  Use a wooden spoon to get all those browned bits off the bottom of the pan.  When the shallots are transluscent and softened, add the peas to the pan along with the light cream.   Add about 10 grinds of black pepper, a light sprinkling of kosher salt, and about 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes.  Stir for about 1 minute, and add the freshly grated romano cheese.  Stir until slightly thickened, about 1 more minute.  Turn flame off if your pasta isn’t ready at this point. 

Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente, according to package instructions.  Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.  Drain pasta, and pour into skillet with sauce, over low flame.  Gently mix noodles with the sauce.  Then add the 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water.  Mix.  If you think the sauce is a little too dry, add a little more of the reserved pasta water.  Pour into a serving bowl, and grate a little more romano cheese over the top.  Serve immediately.