Step 1

Heat the olive oil in a large, deep pan or Dutch oven and sauté the shallot for 3-minutes until softened.

Step 2

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil, salt it generously, and cook the pasta for half of the time indicated on the package. Before draining, reserve at least 1 litre (4 cups) of pasta water.

Step 3

Add the peas over the onions together with 1 cup of pasta water and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Step 4

Transfer the pasta to the pan and gradually add some extra pasta water until the pasta is cooked al dente. This should take about 5 minutes, and you should stilll have some liquid when the pasta is al dente.

Step 5

Turn off the heat and stir in the grated parmesan and basil if using. Season to taste with salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper and serve with extra grated parmesan on top.