Linguine with peas and mint

This dish will always remind me on TriBeCa, New York. We tried it in a small cosy restaurant there back in 2010 and we immediately fell in love with it. I still remember the table outside, the cool breeze and the stars - it was romantic and we felt a part of the artistic atmosphere of the city. We were enjoying our dinner with a bottle of white wine and long talks. I made it couple of times after that, only for special occasions and even if not just a perfect copy of the original, it is a precious page in my recipe box.

Ingredients:

• 500 g Linguine
• 100 g frozen garden peas
• 50 g unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves
• 100 ml heavy cream
• 100 g salted pistacchios
• 3 strigs of fresh mint, washed and stems removed
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• freshly ground black pepper
• salt

Preparation:

Melt the butter on medium heat and sauté the onion and minced garlic cloves. 
Bring a cup of water to boil and simmer the peas for 1 minute. Remove them from the water with a slotted spoon. If you want to keep the bright green color of the peas, transfer them to an ice bath (a cup of cold water with some ice cubs inside). Strain and add peas to the onion. Add the heavy cream and the mint leaves and cook for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti according to the instructions. Drain.

Whisk together the egg yolks, 2 tablespoons Parmesan and the lemon zest in a small bowl. Mix with the spaghetti and the peas and serve on a plate. Crush the pistacchios and toss them on top of every serving. Season with salt and pepper.