Where have I been?

I figured I would ask the question myself. I was gung-ho on my blog at first, people were actually reading it, some of you even asked me to keep it up! And what happened? Same thing that usually does when I get all excited about an idea...I drop it. Gone. Forogtten. If it wasn't so simple to login to this site to post a new blog, it would have probably never made its way into my laptop again.

I just got done reading Orangette's blog - love it. I am sharing a recipe from her for today's post:

The proper title for this dish is tagliatelle alla Romagnola, but since I didn’t use tagliatelle, I’m winging it, title-wise. I hope Mr. Hazan will forgive me. I used penne rigate, which was fine, although I’ll bet it would be even better with a long noodle – dried egg tagliatelle, ideally. I have written the recipe below for one serving, because I usually make it when I’m working at home alone and in need of a quick meal, but the recipe scales up very easily. The original recipe, as Mr. Hazan wrote it, serves four and uses four ounces of prosciutto, 4 four tablespoons of butter, and so on.

1 oz. prosciutto, sliced 1/8 inch thick
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
Kosher salt
About 3 ounces dried pasta, preferably egg tagliatelle
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Fill a deep pot with water for the pasta. Salt the water well. Place over high heat, and bring to a boil.

Cut the prosciutto into narrow strips – about ¼ to ½ inch wide – and then cut the strips into short segments, each about 1 inch long. Warm the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the prosciutto, and season with a tiny pinch of kosher salt. Cook until the prosciutto has lost its raw color, but not long enough for it to brown, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

When the water boils, cook the pasta until it is al dente. Drain it – but not too thoroughly; you want the noodles to still be coated with some moisture – and turn it into the skillet with the prosciutto. Toss. Grate a little Parmigiano-Reggiano on top, and toss again. Serve immediately, with more Parmigiano-Reggiano to taste.
Yield: 1 serving