Prosciutto and Broccoli with Pasta

Prosciutto and Broccoli in Pasta  

             

                                    Prep time: 20 minutes

                                    Cook time:  15 to 20 minutes

            The inspiration for this dish came during an Italian cooking class I took many years ago. The chef’s mother’s family, who lived in rural Italy, had made variations of this recipe for three generations. The dish had clearly withstood the test of time.

            I once made it for a woman to whom I was strongly attracted. It led to a variety of good things during and after the dinner. For one, I ended up marrying her (after, not during). Over the years, this recipe has withstood the test of time in our household when many others have fallen away as our tastes changed.

            The recipe is simple, the flavor bright; good for any season of the year. The main attractions are the olive oil and garlic, but all the ingredients, while they maintain their ‘individuality’ and color on the serving dish, meld beautifully on the palate.

MUSIC: This dish begs for Italian Opera (Pavarotti in an early career recording of La Boheme would be fine). If opera is not your thing, Frank Sinatra with the Count Basie big band “I Only Have Eyes For You” would work exceedingly well. If neither opera nor Sinatra is your thing, try one of them anyway. 

HERE’S ALL YOU NEED

1. Pasta: about ¾ to 1 lb. Any noodle will do, but shorter cuts (penne, fusilli, capunti) are best because the pasta is tossed with the sauce before serving, and long noodles can be cumbersome. Fresh pasta is always best.
2. Prociutto, Italian (Parma) or domestic, one slab ¼ inch thick, enough to make 1 Cup of cut pieces (see below). ¹
3. Broccoli, two or three stalks, stems in tact.²
4. Sundried tomatoes, about 6 to 8 halves or ¾ Cup chopped.³
5. Celery, chopped, 1 Cup minimum, with leaves.⁴
6. Garlic, 2 to 3 cloves, chopped
7. Olive oil, extra virgin, ¼ to ⅓ of a Cup
8. Parmesan cheese, grated, for garnish
9. Salt, Pepper to taste

HERE’S WHAT TO DO:

• Get all ingredients prepared ahead of time:
• cut prociutto into small shoe-string sticks, about one inch long, total about 1 Cup or less.
• cut broccoli into bite size pieces, including stems ¹
• chop sun dried tomatoes coarsely
• chop garlic, celery
• Cook pasta in plenty of salted water, drain and set aside.
• In a 4 quart shallow sauce pan, sauté garlic and celery in olive oil. Don’t skimp on the olive oil, especially if it is really good olive oil.
• Cook garlic and celery for 3 to 5 minutes approximately on medium heat. Don’t burn the garlic.
• Add rest of ingredients and turn up to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is bright green and has softened slightly, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Turn off heat
• Add a portion (or all) of the pasta in with the sauce and toss lightly. Add a Tablespoon or two of water if needed.
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Serve on warmed plates and top with plenty of grated Parmesan.

CADENZA:  Serve with a country-style Italian bread and a simple leaf salad, maybe with some sliced green onion but without all the extras that are popular these days like nuts, pears, pomegranate seeds, etc. 

WINE:          Red wine is definitely best. Chianti, Rioja, Dolcetto d’Alba, or any of the lighter reds. Most white wines will nicely accompany this dish as well: Sancerre, Vouvray, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, French Chablis or white Burgundy.

¹About prociutto: While Parma prociutto from Italy is generally considered the best, some domestically produced (i.e. North American) prociutto is fine for this dish. The thick slab is important in order to make the small pieces; you might not need the whole piece depending on where on the leg it was cut. Don’t use more than one Cup of meat: too much procuitto overpowers the other flavors. One piece with every bite or second bite, is plenty.

²About broccoli: if you didn’t already know this, most of the sugar is in the stem, so use as much stem as possible. Cut off the chewy outer skin, but don’t discard the light green pulp of the stems. Stems are the best! The florets look nice but have less flavor.

³About sun dried tomatoes: I once heard a guy in the media predict that sun-dried tomatoes were only a fad and would soon go the way of quiche or other food fads. Clearly this guy’s fund of knowledge was more about pop culture than food. He was so wrong (about both sun-dried tomatoes and quiche). Sun-dried tomatoes are one of life’s wonderful taste treats, and will remain so as long as they exist on the planet. Though highly versatile, my preference is to use them in cooked dishes, not raw, as in a sandwich. But…personal tastes, you know.

            Buy them packed in olive oil or dry. The brighter the color, the brighter the flavor usually. If very dry, they require reconstitution in water before using for cooking.

⁴About celery: the leaves are full of wonderful flavor. Include them in all recipes that call for celery, especially soups.