Asparagus Sauce with Ham and Cream
Once again, you get to hear me say that this is a fantastic recipe and you should give it a try. Today’s recipe is Asparagus Sauce wtih Ham and Cream, which Marcella suggests is best served over penne pasta.
I fixed another pasta dish 2 days ago that was rich and full of cream. I wasn’t looking forward to this dish tonight, as I really wasn’t in the mood for something heavy. Was it heavy? Not really. Was it heavenly? Absolutely!
This dish was so quick and easy to make. I had it on the plate in under 30 minutes, probably more like 20 minutes. What other dish that tastes heavenly, a combination of sweet butter, creamy whipping cream, salty ham and parmesan, and that more astrigent taste of asparagus, can you prepare in such a short time period?
The process here is cook asparagus in boiling water until tender. Remove from pan, cool, and slice into small pieces. Drain water from pan, dry, and then in the same pan add butter and sliced ham. Cook a couple of minutes, and add the chopped asparagus. After a minute or so, add heavy cream and cook a minute or two until reduced. Add this along with grated parmesan cheese to the cooked pasta and toss until thoroughly combined. YUM!!! I enjoyed my plate with a nice glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Another one to add to the recipe file of definately make again.
Love asparagus in pasta. And it is a natural with cream sauces, don’t you think? I’ve made a similar dish with pancetta, now I’ll have to try ham instead.
And it’s so pretty, with the pale yellow pasta, pink ham and bright green asparagus. Looks delicious.
This looks and sounds delicious. Those ingredients really are an inspired combination!
Thanks! And we love hearing your comments. Thanks for taking the time to leave them. Cindy
What makes this dish so easy to take, not to say irresistible, is a finely tuned balance of flavors. For it really to work, the ham should be plain, boiled ham, Parma cotto if you can find it, otherwise good quality, sliced, deli ham that has NOT been smoked. Smoke is a very assertive flavor, and its use in Italy is limited to a rather narrow geographic area of the northeast. It is not common to Emilia-Romagna. I would also prefer not to use prosciutto because of its saltiness, which becomes more concaentrated when cooked in a sauce. For the same reason, I think Deborah may find this version more elegant than hers with pancetta, however tasty that one may be.
The absolute perfect pasta would be garganelli. It has the penne shape, but the delicacy and lightness of the egg dough from which it is made. The Pomodori who went to Bologna know all about garganelli.
How wonderful that Marcella is adding some cooking tips to her recipes!