Tagliatelle fresche al prosciutto crudo (Fresh Tagliatelle with Prosciutto Crudo)
PG tested
I'm not a big fan of prosciutto, an Italian ham that's been salt-cured and air-dried. So when a friend gave me a package of some he'd made himself, I wasn't sure what to do with the tissue-thin slices of meat. Then I remembered La Cucina Italiana's annual pasta issue, which I swore I'd work my way through when I got it over a year ago.
Of course it included a dish centered around proscuitto, and a pretty darn good one at that. (There were no leftovers.) I started with slices of the ham instead of a chunk, and so I minced the meat instead of chopping it into cubes.
- Fine sea salt
- 5 ounces prosciutto
- 3 tablespoons unsalted
- butter
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallot (1 to 2 large)
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine
- 12 ounces fresh tagliatelle or dried tagliatelle
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Meanwhile, cut fat from prosciutto; finely chop fat. Cut remaining prosciutto into 1/4-inch cubes.
Combine prosciutto fat and butter in a large nonstick skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add shallot and cook for 1 minute more, then add wine and 1/4 cup boiling water. Cook until liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes, remove from heat.
Add pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente (3 minutes for fresh pasta). Reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking liquid, drain and immediately transfer to a large bowl.
Return skillet with prosciutto to medium-low heat. Add cheese and stir to combine. Immediately add contents of skillet and 1 tablespoon of the pasta cooking liquid to pasta; toss to combine. Add more pasta cooking liquid to moisten, if desired. Serve immediately.
Makes 4 servings.
-- La Cucina Italiana, October 2010
First Published: February 1, 2012, 5:00 a.m.