Garganelli con Prosciutto e Piselli

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large wooden board or clean work surface for pasta making
• •Pasta machine (optional but recommended)
• •Gnocchi board, pettine, or large fork for ridging
• •Thin wooden dowel or pencil for rolling
• •Large 12-inch skillet
• •Large pot for boiling pasta

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the pasta dough

   Mound the flour on a wooden board or clean work surface. Make a well in the center, large enough to hold the eggs. Crack the eggs and yolk into the well, add the salt, and beat gently with a fork, gradually incorporating flour from the inner walls. When the mixture becomes too stiff to work with a fork, use your hands to bring the dough together. It will look shaggy. This is correct.

   Tipo 00 flour creates the silky texture essential for garganelli. All-purpose flour works but produces a slightly coarser result. Do not use semolina; this is egg pasta, not southern dried pasta.
2. 2

   Knead the dough

   Knead the dough firmly, pushing with the heel of your hand, folding it over, rotating, and pushing again. Continue for 8 to 10 minutes. The dough should become smooth, elastic, and spring back when pressed. If it feels sticky, dust with flour. If it feels dry and cracked, wet your hands slightly. Wrap tightly in plastic and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. The rest is not optional.

3. 3

   Roll and cut the pasta

   Divide the rested dough into four pieces. Work with one piece at a time, keeping the others covered. Roll each piece through a pasta machine, starting at the widest setting and progressively narrowing until you reach setting 5 or 6. The sheet should be thin enough to see your hand through, but sturdy enough to hold its shape. Cut the sheets into 1 1/2-inch squares. You will have approximately 60 squares.

   If rolling by hand, roll the dough as thin as possible without tearing. My grandmother used a meter-long rolling pin and could cover her entire table. You will need practice to match her, but try.
4. 4

   Shape the garganelli

   Place a pasta square on a gnocchi board or the back of a fine-tined fork, positioning it diagonally so one corner points toward you. Place a thin wooden dowel or pencil along the near corner. Roll the dowel away from you, wrapping the pasta around it while pressing firmly against the ridged surface. The pasta should form a tube with visible grooves on the outside. Slip the garganelli off the dowel and set on a floured tray. Repeat with remaining squares. This takes time. Do not rush.

   A traditional pettine (weaving comb) creates the finest ridges, but a gnocchi board or even a butter paddle works adequately. The ridges matter; they grip the sauce.
5. 5

   Begin the sauce

   In a large skillet, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced shallot and cook gently until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. The shallot should not brown. Add the prosciutto cotto strips and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. The ham should warm through and release some of its fat.

6. 6

   Add peas and wine

   Add the peas to the skillet. If using fresh peas, cook for 3 minutes. Frozen peas need only 1 minute to heat through. Pour in the white wine and let it bubble until nearly evaporated, about 2 minutes. You should smell wine, then not smell it. That is when you proceed.

7. 7

   Add cream

   Pour in the cream and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 3 minutes, allowing the cream to reduce slightly and thicken. Season with salt and pepper, remembering that the prosciutto and cheese will add saltiness. Remove from heat while you cook the pasta.

8. 8

   Cook the garganelli

   Bring a large pot of water to a vigorous boil. Salt it generously. Add the garganelli and cook until tender but with pleasant resistance to the bite, 3 to 4 minutes for fresh pasta. Fresh pasta cooks quickly. Watch it. Reserve one cup of pasta cooking water before draining.

9. 9

   Finish and serve

   Return the sauce to medium heat. Add the drained garganelli and half the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Toss vigorously, adding pasta water a few tablespoons at a time, until the sauce coats every ridge and the cheese melts into the cream. Add the remaining cheese and the parsley. Toss once more. The sauce should cling to the pasta, not pool beneath it. Serve immediately in warmed bowls. Pass additional Parmigiano at the table.

Chef Tips

• •Prosciutto cotto, the cooked ham, is correct here. Prosciutto crudo would overpower the sweet peas with its intense saltiness. If you cannot find good cotto, a quality baked ham, sliced thick and cut into strips, substitutes adequately.
• •Fresh peas in season transform this dish. Seek them at farmers' markets in late spring. The tiny, sweet ones are best. Frozen peas work the rest of the year; they are picked and frozen at peak ripeness, which makes them superior to out-of-season fresh peas.
• •The garganelli can be made several hours ahead and left on floured trays at room temperature, covered with a clean towel. They can also be dried completely and stored for several days, but fresh garganelli are notably superior.
• •If shaping 60 garganelli feels daunting, recruit help. In Emilia-Romagna, pasta-making is communal work. The women of the family gather around the table, talking while their hands move automatically. You could also make fewer, larger garganelli, but the proportion of sauce to pasta will change.

Advance Preparation

• •Pasta dough can be made one day ahead, wrapped tightly in plastic, and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before rolling.
• •Shaped garganelli can dry at room temperature for up to 4 hours before cooking, loosely covered with a towel. Do not stack them; they will stick.
• •For longer storage, dry the garganelli completely on racks for 24 hours, then store in airtight containers for up to one week. Dried garganelli will need an extra minute of cooking time.
• •The sauce cannot be made ahead; it takes only minutes and loses its freshness if held.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 290g)