JAMES BEARD'S PLEASANT PASTA

James Beard's Pleasant Pasta image

Here's an absolutely lovely weeknight pasta dish that's a triple threat: It's easy, it's quick and it's delicious. Here's what you do: As the spaghetti boils, simmer some green peas with a little water until they're hot (or just dump the frozen peas in with the boiling pasta a couple minutes before the timer is set to ding). Drain the pasta and return to the pot with a button of butter. Add peas, prosciutto and cream and toss to coat. Season well with salt, pepper and grated Parmesan. Toss some more. Serve and swoon.

Provided by Alex Witchel

Categories easy, quick, pastas, main course

Time 20m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 8

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Ingredients

Salt
1 pound spaghetti
1 10-ounce package frozen peas
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 pound thinly sliced prosciutto di Parma, rolled up and cut in 1/4-inch-wide strips
2/3 cup heavy cream
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 to 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese; more as needed

Steps:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until just tender. While pasta cooks, combine peas and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, and stir until peas are thoroughly heated. Drain and set aside.
Drain pasta, return to pot and toss with butter. Add peas, prosciutto and cream. Toss to mix well and to separate prosciutto strips. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add Parmesan to taste, and toss again. Serve piping hot, passing more Parmesan separately at the table.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 896, UnsaturatedFat 13 grams, Carbohydrate 97 grams, Fat 37 grams, Fiber 7 grams, Protein 42 grams, SaturatedFat 21 grams, Sodium 1871 milligrams, Sugar 8 grams, TransFat 0 grams