Pasta Baked With Peas and Ham
- 4 ounces prosciutto, cotto or 4 ounces cooked ham
- 1 cup blanched fresh peas or 1 cup frozen peas
- 12 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
- 34 cup freshly grated grana padano or 34 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese
- 2 12 cups heavy cream
- 14 teaspoon fine sea salt
- freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 lb dried pasta shells (or penne rigate or penne)
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta; preheat oven to 500.
- Cut the ham into long 1/2-inch wide strips, then cut crosswise to make 1- to 1 1/2 inch long pieces (you should have about 1 cup).
- Toss in a large mixing bowl; add in the peas, Pecorino Romano, 1/2 cup of the Grana Padano, cream, and salt; mix together.
- Add just enough grated nutmeg for a good whiff to reach your nose.
- Your want to flavor the cream discreetly.
- Fold it into the mixture and add more salt if necessary.
- Generously salt the boiling water and drop in the pasta.
- Cook, stirring often, for 4 minutes.
- The pasta will be parboiled and too hard to eat; it cooks further in the oven.
- Drain the macaroni, reserving 1 cup of the water, and transfer the pasta to the mixing bowl.
- Add 1/2 cup pasta water and toss again; there should be abundant liquid surrounding the pasta; add more water if it looks too dry or too thick.
- Transfer the pasta and its sauce to individual shallow baking dishes or to 1 or 2 shallow baking dishes.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes (check halfway through baking time and drizzle with more pasta water if necessary), until bubbly hot with a few browned noodles on top.
- Serve right away with the remaining Grana Padano passed at the table.
ham, peas, freshly grated pecorino romano cheese, padano, heavy cream, salt, nutmeg, pasta shells
Taken from www.food.com/recipe/pasta-baked-with-peas-and-ham-461783 (may not work)