Green Tagliatelle Pasta with Prosciutto and Tomatoes
Tagliatelle are the noodles of the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy, and green tagliatelle are a brighter, more colorful version made by mixing pureed spinach (or spinach and watercress) into the eggs.
I’ve been making a lot of tagliatelle, as my Imperia pasta maker came with a tagliatelle cutter, and I haven’t bought any other attachments. It’s a versatile pasta shape, as it works with tomato sauces and the thick meat ragus of Northern Italy.
In this post, I have a green tagliatelle with a sauce of tomatoes, prosciutto, minced onion, carrot, and celery, and a little cream, finished, of course, with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. This sauce is very representative of the Emilia-Romagna region, which is where both Prosciutto di Parma and Parmigiano-Reggiano are produced. It is also a large producer of dairy products, which explains the use of butter and cream in the sauce (For a lighter sauce, these could be removed.)
This is a great recipe based on a simple tomato sauce, and there are many possible variations. Add olives, herbs like basil or parsley, or anchovies, or use pancetta instead of prosciutto. To make it a little spicy, add some minced fresh chile or chile flakes to the carrot, onion, and celery. This range of possibilities is what makes pasta such an enjoyable dish to work with.
The foundation of the sauce: sauteed prosciutto and minced onion, carrot, and celery
Heat & Knives
The Recipe
Source: From Biba’s Italian Kitchen
For the spinach tagliatelle:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 extra-large eggs
2 tablespoons cooked, finely chopped fresh or frozen spinach, squeezed of all moisture
For the sauce:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup minced yellow onion
1/3 cup minced carrot
1/3 cup minced celery
1/4 pound prosciutto, cut into a 1/8-inch slice and then cut into thin strips
3 cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, with their juices, put through a food mill to remove the seeds
1/4 cup heavy cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Prepare the spinach dough as instructed on pages 48-49, using the flour and the eggs in this recipe.
Roll out the dough and cut it into tagliatelle as instructed on page 50.
Prepare the sauce: Heat the butter and oil in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring, until vegetables are lightly golden and soft, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the prosciutto and cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring a few times. Add the tomatoes and the cream and season with salt and just a touch of pepper. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, uncovered, until sauce has a medium-thick consistency, 10 to 15 minutes.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and the tagliatelle. Cook, uncovered, over high heat until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite.
Drain the pasta and place it in a large, heated, serving bowl. Add the sauce and about 1/4 cup of the Parmigiano, and mix well. Serve at once with additional Parmigiano.
July 11th, 2010 at 3:14 pm
[...] Fresh Pasta: Conservational Tagliatelle wіtһ Prosciutto аחԁ Tomatoes | Heat… [...]