Trenne Pasta with Peas and Proscuitto

Because you were so busy oohing and aahing over my Italy pictures in the last post, you may have skipped over the mention of a delicious triangular-shaped pasta that we ate on our first night in Florence.

Maybe because it was our first dish of pasta upon arriving,  or maybe we were just so freaking tired - either way this dish tasted miraculous. We were eating at Beccaio, with some friends who live in Florence. Even they were impressed with this pasta with asparagus and proscuitto in a light cream sauce.

Thinking I could never duplicate it, I searched my cookbooks for something similar I could use as a starting point.
Mamma mia!
I began and ended the quest with Mario Batali's Molto Gusto. His Penne alla Papalina seemed to be just what I was looking for. The ingredients were easily interchangeable - it was really the technique I was after.

And that triangle shape? Would you believe I actually had a package of it in the pantry?
It's true. I must have had a premonition when I bought it at our local Italian market weeks ago. The brand is Rustichella d'Abruzzo - one of the brands Mario recommends.

It's called trenne - triangular penne. Duh.

So...grazie to Mario Batali for the inspiration.
I changed the recipe just a bit. Try it for a taste of Tuscany, without the airfare.

Pasta with Peas and Proscuitto
adapted from Molto Gusto


kosher salt

6 Tbsps. extra-virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 large leek, cleaned, cut lengthwise, then thinly sliced

6 oz. sliced proscuitto, cut into 1" squares

1 10 oz. package frozen peas, thawed

1 lb. trenne pasta (or penne)

4 large eggs

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Bring a large pot of water to boil, adding 3 Tbsps. kosher salt.

Meanwhile, heat 3 Tbsps. olive oil and 1 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet (it has to be big enough to hold the pasta later on). When the butter is melted, add sliced leek. Cook over medium heat until it starts to soften, about 3-4 minutes. Add proscuitto and continue to cook until it is golden brown and has rendered its fat, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the peas.

Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain.

Whisk the eggs together in a medium bowl to break them up. Whisk in remaining 3 Tbsps. olive oil and 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water.

Add the pasta to the proscuitto/vegetable mixture, over medium heat and stir well to combine. Add the egg mixture, remove from the heat, stirring and tossing vigorously to cook the eggs. Add reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce. Stir in Parmesan, season with salt and pepper and serve immediately, with extra cheese if desired.

Molto gusto!

48 Meals

I could provide you with some Christmas cookie recipes or some holiday decorating tips in this space. That would be the seasonally appropriate thing to do. There are many cookie recipes on my mind and at some point soon, I will share them. But right now, I am focused on the 48 meals that still have to be dished up between now and Christmas day. Breakfast, lunch and dinner every day for the next 16 days. Unfortunately, they can't be ignored. They're not festive. They're not fun. They're just like any another day of the year.
Breakfast is easy. You know the drill - cereal, toast, yogurt, fruit and of course coffee.
Lunch, not too hard, especially when you're on your own - a salad, a sandwich, a cup of soup. Make the kids buy school lunch.
Dinner, that's another story. Every day those kids are going to ask the same damn question, "what's for dinner, Mom?". You better have a good answer. Some days you can get away with take out pizza or mac and cheese or maybe "breakfast for dinner". But some days you are going to have to come up with a real home-cooked meal, even when you've been up to your elbows all day in baking or wrapping or shopping or addressing cards or decorating or crafting or whatever it is you do.

Tonight I'll be making my kids' favorite, purely out of guilt. What else have I made them this week? To be honest, nothing. And there's lots more of that to come, so tonight it's...

Chicken Broccolini Pasta

1 lb. pasta

2 bunches brocollini, ends trimmed, cut into 1" pieces
(if you can't find broccolini, use broccoli or broccoli rabe)

1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces

3 Tbsp. EVOO

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 Tbsp. butter

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

1. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook pasta to al dente. Remove pasta with a strainer, saving all the water in the pot. Set pasta aside.
2. Return water to boil. Blanch broccolini for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.
3. On a large plate, dredge chicken pieces lightly in flour. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Heat oil in large saute pan. Add chicken, being careful not to crowd the pieces. You might have to do it in two batches. Cook until browned on all sides.
5. Add garlic and broccolini to pan with chicken. Toss to combine.
6. Add wine, broth and butter, stir and let simmer 3-4 minutes. If it looks dry, add a bit more liquid.
7. Add cooked pasta, stir to combine. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Season with salt and pepper and serve with additional cheese, if desired.

One more dinner down, 15 to go.