Pasta with Ham, Peas, and Cream
A pasta dish kids love and one that became traditional with mine whenever we left them with a sitter for the evening. It’s best if the ham is prosciutto, the cream thick and fresh, and the peas just shelled, but it’s pretty good with supermarket ham and cream and frozen peas, and I’ve made it that way plenty of times. For variety, add about a cup of sliced button mushrooms to the ham mixture.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Bring both a large and a small pot of water to a boil; salt them both. In the small pot, cook the peas until tender, 3 or 4 minutes. Drain and set aside. Put the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat; when it melts, add the ham and cook for about a minute. Stir in the peas, the cream, a pinch of salt, and a fair amount of black pepper. Turn the heat to low; keep warm, stirring occasionally, while you cook the pasta.
Step 2
Cook the pasta until tender but not mushy; drain, reserving about a cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with the cream mixture; if it seems too thick, add a little of the reserved cooking water. Stir in the Parmesan, taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve.
