Pasta with Prosciutto and Asparagus

A great new pasta dish I whipped up last night. Easy to make, not to heavy considering the cream and egg, and great flavor. I'm counting the minutes to lunch so I can have leftovers.

(Thanks for your help Marly!)


Pasta with Prosciutto and Asparagus

1 small bunch of asparagus
1 T butter
1-2 T olive oil
3 T shallot, minced
3 T garlic, minced
3/4 cup prosciutto, cut into small pieces (I use a 4oz package)
freshly ground pepper
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 t lemon zest
1/2 - 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for sprinkling on top
1 package spaghetti noodles, fresh or dried (dried noodles usually make more pasta so don't use the entire package)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for noodles.

Bring a small amount of water to boil in a small saute pan. Add asparagus and boil for 2 minutes. Remove and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Once cooled, cut the asparagus spears on the diagonal into roughly 2" pieces.

Heat a little oil in a large stockpot or sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the prosciutto and cook, stirring regularly, until it gets crisp. Season with pepper mid-way. Remove prosciutto from pan and take pan off heat to cool.

Mix the zest, parmesan, egg yolk and cream in a bowl. Set aside.

Heat the butter and remaining oil in the same pan you used for the prosciutto. Add the shallot and sauté for a few minutes making sure not to burn. Add garlic and saute for a few minutes. Add the prosciutto and asparagus. Remove from heat.

Season pasta water with a lot of salt. Add noodles and cook according to directions. When using fresh noodles, under-cook them slightly and finish them off in the sauce. Strain pasta, reserving a 1/3 cup of the water for the sauce. Add noodles to pan with prosciutto and asparagus. Quickly pour in the egg/cream mixture and stir. The heat from the noodles will cook the egg. You want a light creamy sauce and want to avoid anything gooey. Add a little pasta water as needed. Season with pepper and salt if needed.

Spoon into bowls and top with a bit more parmesan.