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Some might think that Prosicuttio which is an uncooked, unsmoked, dry cured ham is just used on charcuterie and put into sandwiches. If you don’t know, it can be cooked and crisped up into delicious salty goodness, like chips! This pasta recipe uses prosciutto like that along with spinach and pine nuts to create a wonderfully flavoured pasta recipe with few ingredients. Any prosciutto will do, but the best and most prized is Prosciutto di Parma. So, if you can get your hands on some, do so. You will notice that there is no other prosciutto that has a savoury-sweet flavor, buttery texture and just melts in your mouth. The spinach and pine nuts compliment the prosciutto perfectly with this pasta dish, enjoy.
SPAGHETTI WITH PROSCIUTTO DI PARMA, SPINACH, PINE NUTS & PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO
Recipe by Mark Calaminici | Food Loves Company
Serves 4
Ingredients
50g pine nuts, toasted, finely chopped or ground into a powder
150g Prosciutto di Parma, thinly sliced and finely chopped in strips or small pieces
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
150g spinach, finely chopped
Freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Chili flakes, to taste
500g Spaghetti
60g Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated
Method
1. In a large dry frying pan over medium heat, add pine nuts and toast for 3-4 min or until golden brown. Once the nuts have cooled down a bit, place in a food processor and pulse to get a pwder like texture. Be careful not to continuously pulse as you may end up with a paste. Place in a bowl or plate and set aside.
2. In a large frying pan over low-medium heat, add prosciutto and cook until it starts to render and get crispy. Once cooked, remove some to a plate for garnish, this step is optional. Add extra virgin olive oil, spinach and season with freshly cracked pepper and chili flakes. No need to salt as the prosciutto is salty. If you feel you need more salt, you can season with salt.
3. Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water just before al dente, as we will finish cooking the pasta in the sauce. Reserve pasta water.
4. Add pasta to the pan with a ladle of pasta water. Continue to cook the pasta in the pan, stirring and tossing, adding more pasta water if needed. Add some of the pine nuts and mix and toss. Remove pan from heat or turn off heat and add Parmigiano-Reggiano, handful at a time and mix and toss to incorporate into the pasta. You can add more pasta water if needed and you should end up with a smooth sauce. Plate and garnish with crispy prosciutto and pine nuts. Enjoy.