Italian | Gemelli Alfredo with Prosciutto

Posted on February 11, 2011

An easy and tasty dish! Creamy Alfredo sauce with salty prosciutto.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 pound gemelli (short pasta twists) or short spiral pasta

4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

freshly ground pepper, to taste

red pepper flakes, to taste

kosher sea salt, to taste

 

Method

Fill a 4-quart kettle three fourths full with water and bring to a boil. Generously salt the water for cooking the pasta.

In a skillet, heal oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Sauté prosciutto, stirring, until it begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Be careful not to overcook as prosciutto will become gamey. With a slotted spoon, transfer prosciutto to paper towels to drain.

Boil pasta until al dente, following your package instructions. Drain in a colander. Return pasta to kettle and add remaining ingredients, except prosciutto, and salt to taste. Cook pasta over low heat, stirring, until butter is melted and sauce coats pasta.

Transfer pasta to serving dish, top with prosciutto.

Variation: Use roasted turkey or chicken and frozen peas instead of prosciutto.

 

(Ref. Sur La Table's "Gemelli Alfredo with Prosciutto" recipe, "Favorite Italian Pastas" class.)