Fettuccine with Peas and Prosciutto
Instructions:
- 4 tablespoons butter (60 g)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small white onion, finely chopped
- About 3 cups garden-fresh peas (2O pounds, or 1.2 kg, in the shell)
- ¼ pound prosciutto in a single slice, cut into small dice (110 g)
- Salt
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (75 g)
- 1 pound dried fettuccine (450 g)
- Heat the butter and olive oil in a small pan. Add the onion and cook over low heat until soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the peas and cover the pan. Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, or until the peas are tender but still firm. Add the diced prosciutto, salt lightly, and simmer for about 3 minutes.
- Beat the eggs with 3 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese in the bowl in which you will serve the pasta.
- Cook the fettuccine in a large pot of boiling salted water until it is al dente. Drain well. Turn the pasta into the serving bowl, sprinkle on the rest of the Parmesan cheese, and mix thoroughly. Add the hot peas, toss quickly, and serve with more Parmesan and a pepper mill on the side. Note: If you are worried about raw eggs, you could cook your eggs as Luigi Carnacina suggests in his book Roma in Cucina. Beat the eggs with the Parmesan cheese and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Melt some of the butter and, when it bubbles, pour in the egg mixture. As soon as the eggs begin to solidify, add the peas and prosciutto to the skillet, mix, and pour this mixture over the drained pasta, tossing rapidly. Pass extra Parmesan cheese at the table.