Ham and Pea Pasta Alfredo

August 2020. I am 61 years old, retired from the Postal Service, my days now belong to me and the smoker and Rosetta and the slow unfolding of a life without a mailbag. The week arrived the way weeks arrive in Orange Mound — carried by the rhythm of morning coffee and evening porch-sitting and the steady, patient work of being present in a life that doesn\'t require grand gestures to feel meaningful. Christmas 2020.

Naomi is growing the way all Johnson children grow — fast, loudly, and with opinions that exceed her vocabulary. She is 6 months old and every week brings a new word, a new gesture, a new expression that reminds me of Marcus at that age or Angela's calm or, in certain moments — a tilt of the head, a stubborn set of the jaw — Denise, always Denise, present in the DNA, present in the grandchild who carries the family forward. Charlie and David in Nashville, building their life with the quiet determination that is Charlie's signature and the patient kindness that is David's. They are becoming permanent, the two of them, settling into each other the way smoke settles into wood — slowly, completely, leaving a mark that doesn't wash away.

The smoked ham: bone-in, glazed with brown sugar and Dijon and a splash of apple cider vinegar, smoked over cherry wood for three hours until the glaze caramelized into a dark, sticky lacquer. Cherry wood gives ham a sweetness that hickory doesn't — a gentleness that suits the holiday, whatever holiday it is, because ham is the universal celebration meat, the protein that says "today is different from yesterday" without saying why.

Rosetta came to the porch as the light faded and said, "Good week, Earl." I said, "Good week." And it was — not remarkable, not historic, just good, the way most weeks are good when you have a smoker that works and a wife who loves you and a family that shows up and a God who watches. Good is enough. Good is everything. Good is what you\'re left with when you strip away the noise and the ambition and the worry, and what remains is a man on a porch in Memphis, sixty-something years old, watching the dark come, full of food and gratitude and the quiet knowledge that he did his best today, and tomorrow he\'ll do it again.

That bone-in ham off the cherry wood smoker — glazed, lacquered, and carved down to the bone by the time Rosetta and I pushed back from the table — left behind exactly the kind of tender, smoky ham that deserves a second life. This Ham and Pea Pasta Alfredo is what I make the next evening when the holiday has settled into a quieter key: rich and creamy and warm, the kind of dish that says the celebration isn’t quite over yet, just gentler now. It’s how one good meal becomes two, and how a good week keeps giving a little longer.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

12 oz fettuccine or penne pasta
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups cooked ham, diced or shredded (smoked ham works beautifully)
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Pinch of nutmeg
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water before draining, then drain and set aside.
Build the sauce. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add minced garlic and cook 1—2 minutes until fragrant, stirring constantly so it doesn’t brown.
Add the cream. Pour in heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook 3—4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cream begins to thicken slightly.
Stir in the Parmesan. Reduce heat to low and add Parmesan a handful at a time, stirring until fully melted and smooth after each addition. Season with pepper, salt, and a pinch of nutmeg.
Add ham and peas. Stir in the diced ham and thawed peas. Cook 2—3 minutes until heated through.
Combine with pasta. Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss to coat. If the sauce is too thick, add reserved pasta water a splash at a time until it reaches a creamy, silky consistency.
Serve. Plate immediately and garnish with fresh parsley and extra Parmesan if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Ham and Pea Pasta Alfredo — What You Do With the Good Leftover