Cheese, Peas, Prosciutto...Oh My!

              Pasta and cheese just seem to go together like two peas in a pod. However, you don't always want, or need, to get that cheesy pasta fix from a blue box (seriously, is it just me or is that little blue box with only 1.5 servings getting more and more expensive?). Why not make a homemade mac and cheese, or dare I say, mac and 4 cheese? The pasta cheese pea pod is only made a little cozier by tossing in some actual peas and delicious prosciutto.

Here's what you need

4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup milk or cream
1 tbsp sea salt
1 box of Farfalle (bow tie) pasta
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup grated Asiago cheese
1/4 cup grated Havarti or Fontina cheese
1/4 cup grated Mozzarella cheese
1 package Prosciutto, diced
1 cup green peas (frozen or fresh, but not canned)
1/2 tsp Black Pepper


* Prep all your ingredients before you start*


1. Fill a large pot with water, add a teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil.

2. Cook pasta for the appropriate length of time for 'al dente' (take a look at the box).






3. Saute the butter in a large frying pan (at least a 12").

4. Add the milk/cream.











5. Once the cream is heated add a few tablespoons to your egg yolks and whisk. This will temper your eggs. If you don't do this then you will scramble your eggs when you add them to the pasta.









6. Drain the pasta when it's finished cooking. and add it to the cream/butter mixture.
















7. Add the tempered egg yolks, all cheeses, and the pepper. Stir well.

8. Add the prosciutto and the peas stirring well after each addition.

















9. Cook and stir for a few minutes until all the pasta is coated in a nice gooey cheese mixture.








            This makes a lot of pasta, about 6-8 servings, so be prepared for leftovers or to feed everyone you know. We do find that it improves as the week goes on though. You could mix and match cheeses, asiago is a little sharp, so I found that the Havarti softens the flavour (and I couldn't find Fontina in the grocery store).

                                                                                                                                    Enjoy!
                                                                                                                                          Mel