It’s been a cooler-than-normal spring and when the rain drizzled down several days last week, I was in the mood for comfort food — spirit-lifting, rib-sticking foods I would normally enjoy in winter months, such as saucy pasta rich with flavourful bits of pork.
It’s a combination that always works wonderfully together. The idea of cooking creamy tortellini with peas and smoked ham, tomatoey rigatoni with Italian sausage, or spaghetti carbonara with egg and cooked guanciale, pancetta or bacon appealed to me.
But the packet of sliced prosciutto I had in my refrigerator helped guide my decision. I had bought it to use on pizza, but had some left over. I knew that when it was cut and baked, it would yield crispy, savoury, small pieces of pork that would taste sublime in pasta.
Prosciutto is the Italian word for ham, the hind leg of the pig. There are two main types: prosciutto cotto, which is cooked, and prosciutto crudo, which is uncooked, salt-cured and air-dried.
Prosciutto crudo is what I used — in food stores, it’s often simply labelled prosciutto.
What many consider to be “true prosciutto” is labelled prosciutto di Parma or Parma ham, a pricier product that has been made for centuries in a traditional way in the historic town of Parma, Italy.
But good quality less-expensive styles of prosciutto have long been made in other parts of Italy and other countries, including in North America. That’s the type I used in my pasta.
I made a white sauce in a skillet and added salt, pepper, a dried herb — which could be oregano or basil — garlic, grated asiago cheese and pieces of blanched, bright green asparagus.
I then tossed in hot cooked penne, a cylinder-shaped pasta with angled edges, half of my crisped-up pieces of prosciutto, and a bit of the pasta cooking water.
The pasta was then divided between two serving bowls and topped with the remaining pieces of crispy prosciutto and some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
To make a robust meal, you could serve the pasta with some sliced Italian bread or baguette and a side salad.
Penne with Asiago, Asparagus and Crispy Prosciutto
Pasta in an asiago cheese sauce accented with pieces of bright green asparagus, crispy bits of prosciutto and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: about 30 minutes
Makes: two servings
3 to 4 thin, about eight-inch long, slices of prosciutto
1 Tbsp butter
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup warm milk, plus more if needed (divided; see Note 1)
• pinch red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp dried oregano or basil
1/2 cup grated asiago cheese
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 to 10 (about 1/2-inch thick) asparagus spears (tough lower stems removed), each cut, widthwise, into 1- 1/2-inch pieces, and blanched (see Note 2)
175 to 200 grams penne (about 2 cups) or other bite-sized pasta
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to taste
Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut each slice of prosciutto, widthwise, into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Set the pieces of prosciutto, twirled up slightly and not touching, on the baking sheet. Bake prosciutto 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature. The prosciutto will crisp up when it cools.
Bring a large of pot of lightly salted water to a simmer over medium, medium-high heat. While water comes to temperature, place butter in a 10-inch or similar-sized skillet set over medium, medium-high heat. When butter is melted, add the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Now mix in the flour until well combined, and then cook and stir one minute.
Whisk and dribble in 1/4 cup of the milk. Cook until mixture is very thick, and then slowly whisk in remaining 3/4 cup milk. Add the pepper flakes and oregano (or basil), bring the white sauce to a simmer, stirring frequently, and cook one minute. Mix in the asiago cheese, season the sauce with salt and pepper, and then remove from the heat. Mix in the asparagus, cover sauce and set aside until needed.
When water is simmering, add the penne, return to a simmer and cook until just tender, about 10 to 12 minutes (check package for suggested cooking time). Drain pasta well, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water.
While pasta is draining, uncover the sauce, set back over medium heat, and it warm up again. Add a bit more milk to the sauce, if you find it too thick. Add the pasta and half the crispy prosciutto to sauce, along with the 1/4 cup reserved pasta water, and toss to combine. Divide the pasta between two shallow serving bowls, top with the remaining crispy prosciutto, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and serve.
Note 1: You can warm the milk to just below a simmer in a glass-measuring cup in the microwave, or in a small pot on the stovetop set over medium-low heat.
Note 2: To blanch asparagus, plunge into a small pot of boiling water for two minutes. Drain well, cool with ice-cold water, and then drain well again.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
