Orechiette.

Last night's dinner was most definitely not a Cooking Light recipe, but I felt the urge to splurge a little bit at the end of a fun weekend.

Pasta with Prosciutto, Snap Peas, Mint and Cream.

• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 pound prosciutto shank, finely diced
• 4 shallots, minced
• 1 pint cream
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
• 1/2 pound fresh snap peas, whole, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
• salt and fresh ground pepper
• 3/4 pounds (3/4 box) pasta, farfalle or orechiette

In a heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and cook the garlic for 2-3 minutes until just beginning to color.

Add the prosciutto and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. I use whole prosciutto shanks because my butcher has them, but you can also ask for a 1/4 inch thick slice of prosciutto and chop that up instead. I think this works much better in pasta than thin slices.

Add the shallots and cook for 3-4 minutes to soften, and season with a pinch or two of salt and a turn or two of fresh black pepper.

Meanwhile, bring your pasta water to a boil, salt it, and add your pasta. You will want to time the pasta to be finished just as the sauce is finishing so that the cream doesn't sit long.

With about 3 minutes left on your pasta, add the peas and cook for 2 minutes. We want them to retain their crunch. With one minute remaining, add the cream and quickly bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add the cheese, stir, and reduce the heat to low.

Drain the pasta, and toss with the sauce to coat. Sprinkle liberally with fresh mint, and serve with black pepper and extra Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

I actually nixed the mint for the recipe (not a huge fan of the flavor), but I don't think that took away anything. The pasta was soo delicious and I think orechiette pasta is soo cute! We made a little side salad of arugula, pine nuts and balsamic vinegar, and it really was a perfect Sunday dinner to end the weekend.

peaceloveandpasta.

R