Pasta in an asiago cheese sauce accented with pieces of bright green asparagus, crispy bits of prosciutto and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
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.
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.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.
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. Penne with Asiago, Asparagus and Crispy Prosciutto 3 to 4 thin, about eight-inch long, slices of prosciutto1 cup warm milk, plus more if needed • salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste175 to 200 grams penne or other bite-sized pastaPreheat 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.
When water is simmering, add the penne, return to a simmer and cook until just tender, about 10 to 12 minutes . Drain pasta well, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water.
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