Francesco posted this to the It.Hobby.Cucina newsgroup, and kindly game me permission to translate it. It's similar to an Alfredo sauce, though I find it more interesting.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- The precise amounts of the ingredients are woven into the recipe. However:
- Unsalted Butter
- Olive oil
- A small onion
- Prosciutto
- Finely minced lean beef
- Frozen peas
- Cream
Preparation:
"I've got to think back 20 years to when Fabio, who was then the Chef at Paraggi's Carillion, "performed" this easy dish that manages to be both everyday fare and quite distinct from other dishes like it. He made it clear from the outset that the penne had to be smooth-sided: because their slippery sides will form a perfect bond with the cream and Parmigiano of the sauce.
"The unsalted water was already on the fire, and close to boiling.
"In a large skillet, he melted a generous chunk of unsalted butter, together with a little oil, which he said would keep the butter from browning. In the meantime he finely sliced a small onion, using a knife rather than a mezzaluna (a moon-shaped blade with two handles), to produce the slenderest strips of onion, and then cut several slices of prosciutto (about a half pound or thereabouts) by stacking the slices, rolling them up the way one might a salami, and cutting across them; he'd separate the individual slices by tossing what he'd cut in the palm of his hand, letting the slices run gently through his fingers the way my mother used to when she was cutting tagliatelle (pasta similar to fettuccine).
"He already had ready a handful (not just a pinch) of finely minced lean beef; one of the restaurant's most popular entrées was filet in a green peppercorn sauce and he would use the lean trimmings to make his minced meat. He salted the meat but didn't add pepper.
"In the meantime the water came to a boil, and he added the salt, saying it should only be added once the water is already boiling.
"To the butter he added the prosciutto, whose rendered fat added to the grease already in the skillet, and the onion. All over the lowest of flames, so that the ingredients would color without burning. Almost immediately thereafter he added the ground beef, and while it was browning he stirred in a half a ladle-full of cooked peas, which must have been canned, as frozen peas would have been too sweet to go well with the other ingredients.
"And then the pasta went into the water! And at the same time the first addition of fresh cream to the skillet, which began to bind with the other ingredients, making a liquid sauce that thickened but not completely.
"I realized that this was like one of those old precision timing competitions, with the goal being to have the sauce just ready when the pasta was done. The penne were drained al dente and finished cooking tossed in the skillet with the sauce, to which he added a bit more cream and a healthy handful of grated cheese. When he raised the skillet from the fire I remember there was still some liquid between the penne, which thickened as he crossed the restaurant to serve the pasta directly from the skillet.
"Fabio left the Carillon in the early 80s, to open a restaurant on Sardegna's Costa Smeralda, which was a glorious success. Alas, he wasn't yet 40 when the aromas from his kitchen reached paradise, and the hungry angels called him home."
Like most cooks, Fabio worked by eye and didn't give quantities -- however, 1/2 pound of prosciutto would probably be sufficient, as an ingredient in a sauce, to serve 4-6 people, and a quarter pound of ground beef (see below). How much butter at the beginning? About 3 tablespoons, with a tablespoon of oil as well. How much cream? I'd want to have a pint on hand (500 ml), though I'd not expect to use it all. The first addition to the skillet would probably be about 3/4 cup (200 ml), and I'd add more as necessary, keeping in mind that the pasta shouldn't be dry, nor should it be swimming in a soup. How much cheese? 3/4 of a cup to a cup to stir into the pasta as it's cooking in the skillet, and more at the table. Finally, how much pasta? A pound.
Comparing Fabio's sauce and Alfredo
If you look at the list of ingredients Fabio used -- butter, cream, olive oil, prosciutto, ground beef, peas -- you'll realize that this is quite similar to what's known in the US as an Alfredo sauce, albeit more elaborate. It will also be much more interesting: the addition of prosciutto to the cream sauce, with or without peas, works wonders. I had never encountered the use of ground beef before discovering Fabio's recipe, am not sure I would include it, unless I were making a one-course meal to be served with a tossed salad. The other substitution that will work well is cooked ham (diced or finely sliced) instead of prosciutto. The peas add a pleasant note of color, assuming you like green and peas. Though Fabio used the canned variety, if fresh peas are available they will be much better -- cook a cup until tender in a little water, with a small bunch of parsley and half a small onion, seasoning them to taste with salt and pepper. Remove the onion and the parsley sprigs before stirring the peas into the sauce. Finally, this cream sauce, without the ground beef, will also work quite well with tortellini and other types of meat-filled pasta.
"The unsalted water was already on the fire, and close to boiling.
"In a large skillet, he melted a generous chunk of unsalted butter, together with a little oil, which he said would keep the butter from browning. In the meantime he finely sliced a small onion, using a knife rather than a mezzaluna (a moon-shaped blade with two handles), to produce the slenderest strips of onion, and then cut several slices of prosciutto (about a half pound or thereabouts) by stacking the slices, rolling them up the way one might a salami, and cutting across them; he'd separate the individual slices by tossing what he'd cut in the palm of his hand, letting the slices run gently through his fingers the way my mother used to when she was cutting tagliatelle (pasta similar to fettuccine).
"He already had ready a handful (not just a pinch) of finely minced lean beef; one of the restaurant's most popular entrées was filet in a green peppercorn sauce and he would use the lean trimmings to make his minced meat. He salted the meat but didn't add pepper.
"In the meantime the water came to a boil, and he added the salt, saying it should only be added once the water is already boiling.
"To the butter he added the prosciutto, whose rendered fat added to the grease already in the skillet, and the onion. All over the lowest of flames, so that the ingredients would color without burning. Almost immediately thereafter he added the ground beef, and while it was browning he stirred in a half a ladle-full of cooked peas, which must have been canned, as frozen peas would have been too sweet to go well with the other ingredients.
"And then the pasta went into the water! And at the same time the first addition of fresh cream to the skillet, which began to bind with the other ingredients, making a liquid sauce that thickened but not completely.
"I realized that this was like one of those old precision timing competitions, with the goal being to have the sauce just ready when the pasta was done. The penne were drained al dente and finished cooking tossed in the skillet with the sauce, to which he added a bit more cream and a healthy handful of grated cheese. When he raised the skillet from the fire I remember there was still some liquid between the penne, which thickened as he crossed the restaurant to serve the pasta directly from the skillet.
"Fabio left the Carillon in the early 80s, to open a restaurant on Sardegna's Costa Smeralda, which was a glorious success. Alas, he wasn't yet 40 when the aromas from his kitchen reached paradise, and the hungry angels called him home."
Like most cooks, Fabio worked by eye and didn't give quantities -- however, 1/2 pound of prosciutto would probably be sufficient, as an ingredient in a sauce, to serve 4-6 people, and a quarter pound of ground beef (see below). How much butter at the beginning? About 3 tablespoons, with a tablespoon of oil as well. How much cream? I'd want to have a pint on hand (500 ml), though I'd not expect to use it all. The first addition to the skillet would probably be about 3/4 cup (200 ml), and I'd add more as necessary, keeping in mind that the pasta shouldn't be dry, nor should it be swimming in a soup. How much cheese? 3/4 of a cup to a cup to stir into the pasta as it's cooking in the skillet, and more at the table. Finally, how much pasta? A pound.
Comparing Fabio's sauce and Alfredo
If you look at the list of ingredients Fabio used -- butter, cream, olive oil, prosciutto, ground beef, peas -- you'll realize that this is quite similar to what's known in the US as an Alfredo sauce, albeit more elaborate. It will also be much more interesting: the addition of prosciutto to the cream sauce, with or without peas, works wonders. I had never encountered the use of ground beef before discovering Fabio's recipe, am not sure I would include it, unless I were making a one-course meal to be served with a tossed salad. The other substitution that will work well is cooked ham (diced or finely sliced) instead of prosciutto. The peas add a pleasant note of color, assuming you like green and peas. Though Fabio used the canned variety, if fresh peas are available they will be much better -- cook a cup until tender in a little water, with a small bunch of parsley and half a small onion, seasoning them to taste with salt and pepper. Remove the onion and the parsley sprigs before stirring the peas into the sauce. Finally, this cream sauce, without the ground beef, will also work quite well with tortellini and other types of meat-filled pasta.
