Prosciutto Tomato Cream Sauce

This classic pasta sauce from the Bologna region of Italy, deserves a spot in everyone’s repertoire.  Tomatoes and prosciutto are simmered together, and mellowed with a touch of cream.  The ingredients are simple, and as pasta sauces go, it can be made relatively quickly.

It pairs wonderfully with the homemade tagliatelle from last week’s posting, but can also be prepared for a good dried pasta as well.  If you aren’t up for making homemade pasta, my favorite pasta from the store is dried tagliatelle or pappardelle by Bionaturae.  For tomatoes I use either Muir Glen Organics or any type of San Marzano whole stewed tomatoes.  The original recipe specifies that you put the tomatoes through a food mill to remove the seeds, but I find this messy and time consuming.  Instead I use my hand immersion blender to blend the sauce just before I add the cream.  I’ve also used a regular blender as well.

Prosciutto Tomato Cream Sauce
Adapted from Biba’s Italy
For 1 pound of pasta

4 tablespoons butter
5 ounces of prosciutto, chopped
1 (28 ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes with juices
4 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Salt

Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the prosciutto and saute until golden brown.  Add the tomatoes and salt to taste.  Bring the tomatoes to a boil, and then turn down to low, cover and simmer.  The sauce can be simmered anywhere from ten minutes to an hour depending on when you would like it to be ready. Blend the sauce with an immersion blender or in batches in a regular blender.  Add the cream and remaining tablespoon of butter and stir to combine.   Prepare one pound of pasta as directed by your package or pasta recipe until slightly underdone.  After draining the pasta, combine the sauce and pasta in a large pan.  Add about half the cheese and toss to combine.  Save the remaining cheese to sprinkle on top.