Pasta with Prosciutto-Sage Cream Sauce

This is certainly not on anyone's list for weight loss or heart healthy but in my opinion everyone needs to eat something that they shouldn't just because it is naughty and delicious. This recipe was given to me by a foodie friend and I thought it to be so yummy. I don't know if she has ever posted this on her own blog or not but she too has a lovely blog mecookin4ever.blogspot.com. She is an excellent cook, has been a chef at several restaurants and we discovered that we both grew up in the same town. What a surprise that was. Check out her blog, you will find some very interesting recipes there.

This was such a simple dish to make and oh my goodness it was pure heaven. I won't be making this very often but I will when I need to feel good and want to be naughty. Absolutely delicious.

Pasta With Prosciutto-Sage Cream Sauce
serves 4

Cook pasta according to package directions (enough to serve 4, about 1/2 of a box)
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
5 slices prosciutto
1 large clove garlic, finely minced
6-8 fresh sage leaves
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup half and half or heavy cream
4 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Heat a pan with the olive oil and butter to medium heat. While the oil and butter are heating up, prepare the sage, garlic, and prosciutto. Finely mince the garlic, roll the sage leaves and chiffonade, and slice the prosciutto. Add the prosciutto and sage to heated pan and stir until the prosciutto comes to the desired doneness and add in the minced garlic and sauté' for a minute and a half being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the white wine and the cream and stir everything together. Gently simmer for a couple of minutes, season with salt and pepper to taste and add in the toasted pine nuts reserving a few to sprinkle on top when served. Top with a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. You could also add in a little Parmesan cheese in the sauce at the end off the heat. I added in approximately 1/2 cup to the sauce.

To toast the pine nuts simply place them in a small sauce pan and let them brown slightly.

My notes: I sliced the prosciutto and then again sliced into thirds. I also made sure that when it cooked it got a  little crispy.

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The fragrance was heavenly and I always enjoy going to my garden to collect my own herbs. In this case the fresh sage.

 

 

I used the small penne pasta for this recipe simply because some of the sauce seeps into the holes of the penne but that was just my personal preference. Most any small pasta will work.

 

 

 

This was wonderful as a side or

 

 



 

 

 served by itself. Either way I thought it to be excellent. And warmed for the next days lunch, YUM>

 

I am sharing this post with Michael Lee's blogging party Foodie Friday. To see other submitted recipes just click HERE.