It's no secret -- pasta is universally loved! With a few key ingredients and handy kitchen tools, making primo pasta is easier than you think! The homemade pasta is adorned with spring asparagus, peas, and crispy prosciutto on top. Get ready to enjoy some fresh pasta and delightful flavors!
Homemade Fettuccine with Crispy Prosciutto, Peas, Mushrooms, and Asparagus
Serves 4-6
Homemade Pasta Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup semolina flour
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
Sauce Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces of thinly sliced prosciutto
2 tablespoons butter
1 large shallot, minced about 3 tablespoons
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced (we used a mix of cremini and shiitake)
1 cup frozen or fresh shelled green peas
12 ounces fresh asparagus, trimmed and sliced in 1-inch diagonal pieces
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shaved
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. Add all-purpose flour, semolina flour, and salt to a food processor and pulse to evenly combine. Add three eggs, and pulse a few times until a rough dough ball forms.
2. Empty bowl onto a floured work surface and knead a few times until a smooth dough ball is formed.
3. Let ball of pasta dough set covered under an inverted bowl, or in plastic wrap for 15 minutes to promote relaxation of the flour’s gluten. The dough may be left to rest longer, up to 30 minutes. As it rests, it will become increasingly softer and easier to roll into the required thin sheets needed for the fettuccine.
4. Divide the pasta dough into two portions with a dough cutter or knife. Dust the working surface with flour, and flatten one portion of the dough into a disc.
5. Using a pasta machine or pasta attachment, set the rollers to the widest setting. While cranking, feed the disc of dough into the rollers. Continue cranking evenly until the entire portion has been rolled out. Dust each side of the rolled pasta dough with a small amount of flour, as needed. Reduce the width of the rollers to the next thinner setting. Feed the dough through the rollers again. Repeat the narrowing of the rollers and rolling of the dough until the dough is about 1/8” in thickness (this was about a number 6 on our machine). Once the dough sheet reaches this thin stage, change to the cutting roller. Feed the sheets into the machine resulting in fettuccine ribbons. Sprinkle the pasta pieces with flour and hang to dry on a pasta rack, or dust with flour and wrap into small nests and place on a floured baking sheet to dry for at least 30 minutes.
6. While the fresh pasta is drying, prepare the rest of the pasta dish. In a large skillet or braiser, heat the olive oil and cook the prosciutto until crispy. Remove the prosciutto once crispy and set aside.
7. Add the butter to the skillet and sauté the shallot until almost translucent. Add the mushrooms and cook until slightly browned on all sides. Add the white wine and chicken stock, and let the sauce reduce down to half of its volume.
8. In a large pasta pot, boil salted water, and cook the fresh pasta for 2-4 minutes, or until the pasta starts to float to the top.
9. While the pasta boils, add the asparagus and peas to the sauce. Stir, and cook the vegetables until they are just crisp tender.
10. Once the pasta has cooked, drain well reserving one cup of the water. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce, and stir with 2 additional tablespoons of butter. Add up to 1 cup of the reserved pasta water and stir until the pasta is coated with the sauce.
11. Serve immediately with a healthy garnish of shaved Parmesan cheese and the crispy prosciutto.