Penne with Proscuitto & Fresh Mozz

                    

            Here is a dish that stemmed from having a ton of leftovers from making one of my infamous Italian "platters."  The platter was from celebrating our 1 year wedding anniversary and I just couldn’t stand to let the beautiful meats and cheeses go to waste. Now the dish below only used up the prosciutto and fresh mozzarella. The other pieces were either devoured or used for an impromptu appetizer… mini Stromboli.They were delish – one with hot soppressata and provolone and another with pepperoni and mozzarella, sadly I didn’t get any pictures  and the ingredients were what I just listed with some pizza dough from the local pizzeria. Therefore, no blog spotlight but well-worth some attentionJ

                Anyway, back to this dish. Very easy and so very delicious. I mean, really though, pasta, mozz, and prosciutto, who could go wrong? Like I wrote in the objective of the recipe, I was at my mother’s house, dog-sitting to be precise, when I made this; therefore the picture isn’t as great as in my own home. I couldn’t let that deter me from sharing it with you though because it was a winner! The mild and soft mozz incredibly balanced the salty and crispy prosciutto. I love tomatoes in everything, so I had to throw them in too and I was sure glad I did. The depth and texture they added to the broth was definitely noteworthy. The cheese does get a tad “gloopy” while tossing so you sort of have to cut through it when you’re eating to get a good bite. Not that that is a bad thing but for if you’re thinking this dish has some sort of cream sauce, it does not. It is basically a brothy pasta dish with browned prosciutto and pieces of fresh mozzarella throughout. It’s simple, tasty, and a keeper in my mind. I hope you agree…..Enjoy….



Platter this dish came from....

Penne with Prosciutto & Fresh Mozz

Serves: 2-4

OBJ: TCW will be able to cook dinner in her mother’s house by bringing her own ingredients and using her Mom’s beautiful cookwareJ

Ingredients:

½ lb penne pasta, or any other tube shaped you have

2 large slices of Prosciutto di Parma, cut into slivers then cut into small pieces

½ TBS salted butter

2 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ of a 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

½ C (heaping) diced fresh mozzarella (¼ inch cubes)

¼ C dry white wine, (I use Pinot Grigio, but use what you booze!)

¼ tsp dried parsley

¼ tsp dried basil

Red pepper flakes, to taste

S & P, salt and pepper

Procedures:

1. Boil water and cook pasta according to package directions (make sure to save “pasta water” though)

2. Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, heat 1 TBS oil over high heat. Add prosciutto, dried parsley, basil, and a pinch of pepper. Cook for about 2-5 minutes, stirring often, until Prosciutto gets browned and crispy around edges. Remove from pan to a unlined glass plate

Crispy Proscuitto...

3. Add the remaining oil, butter, and garlic to pan. Lower heat to medium and cook until garlic is softened, about 3-4 minutes

4. Add wine, bring heat up to high and let wine come to boil, then lower heat to allow wine to reduce, about 2 minutes

5. Add tomatoes and 3 TBS reserved pasta water to pan, stir well, cover for 5-8 minutes over medium-low heat

6. Add the Prosciutto with their drippings and an additional 1 TBS pasta water to sauté, stir and cover for 1-2 minutes

7. Place your pasta in a large serving bowl, top with mozz, then pour sauté over and toss to combine!

8. Enjoy