fettuccine w/ prosciutto & orange

Sounds odd, right? Prosciutto and orange do not seem like they're two things that should really go together. Cheese and orange doesn't sound quite right either. Well strangely, they're all lovely. Whodathunk? Go easy on the cheese though. It may seem ridiculous to say that, but trust me: lesson learned. Here's what you'll need:

• 12 ounces fettuccine
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 lb. sliced prosciutto, chopped
• 1 orange, zested (is that a word?) and juiced
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup parmesan
• Black pepper

fettuccine w/ fresh corn pesto

As my last post mentioned, or as you may have gathered if you've been reading the blog - or ever met me for that matter - pasta is my standard go-to cuisine. You seriously can't beat pasta. Whether it's simple or complicated (it should never be complicated); traditional or fusion; red sauce or creamy - it's just awesome. Dan and I tried out a completely new recipe this Sunday and - shocker! - it was freakin' delicious. It's a really summer-appropriate dish, now that fresh corn is abundant. Here's what you'll need:

• 8 thick slices of pancetta
• 4 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from about 6 large ears or so)
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
• 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 ounces fettuccine
• 3/4 cup coarsely torn fresh basil leaves, divided

Cook the pancetta in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp and brown, stirring often. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon drippings from the skillet. Add the corn, garlic, salt and pepper to drippings in the same skillet. Sauté over medium-high heat until corn is just tender but not brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer 3/4 of a cup of corn kernels to small bowl and reserve.

Scrape the remaining corn mixture into a food processor processor. Add the Parmesan and pine nuts. With the machine running, add the olive oil through feed tube and blend until pesto is almost smooth. Set pesto aside.

Cook the pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid. Return the pasta to the same pot. Add in the corn pesto, reserved corn kernels, and 1/2 cup of basil leaves. Toss pasta mixture over medium heat until warmed through, adding reserved pasta cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls to thin to desired consistency, 2 to 3 minutes. Season pasta to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer pasta to large bowl. Top with remaining 1/4 cup basil leaves and reserved pancetta (roughly chopped).

Seriously, delicious. We were blown away by how awesome the corn pesto turned out. Definitely give it a try while corn is in season.

Bon chappétit!

fettuccine with peas, asparagus & pancetta

So I was reading up on fooding with emily's blog, and it got me hungry for some creamy pasta carbonara. However, that can be quite heavy, and with the weather warming up, I was in the mood for something slightly more Springlike. I had this fettuccine recipe set aside for sometime, weary of adding all that lemon and lemon zest to my pasta. I'm glad I went for it though - the flavors blend seamlessly, and the lemon adds a great dimension to a traditional dish. Here's what you'll need:

• 12 ounces of fettuccine (3/4 of a box)
• 1/2 lb. of pancetta, chopped (could do proscuitto as well...could also do a whole pound if you're feeling lucky)
• 1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (or more, if you're like me)
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (plus additional for serving)
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream (the smaller container on the shelf
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Juice of one squeezed lemon
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
• 1 bunch of sliced fresh basil

Begin by boiling the water and cooking your pasta per the box directions. Drain, saving 1/4 of the pasta water.

While the pasta's boiling, add 1 tablespoon of oil to a medium-hot skillet and cook the pancetta until crisp. Slice and place on a paper towel to drain.

In the pancetta grease, add the garlic cook until browned. Next, add in the asparagus and cook until bright green (3-5 minutes). Then add in the peas, cooking until thawed (they'll turn bright green as well). Turn the heat down to keep warm until the pasta is done.

When the pasta is done, add the vegetable mix into the pot. Add to that the lemon juice, lemon zest, basil, heavy cream, parmesan, remaining olive oil, pancetta and the 1/4 cup of pasta water. Mix until the cheese melts, and serve (probably about 4 servings.) It took under a half hour total to cook, and made a pretty awesome pasta dish for Spring.

Bon chappétit!