Tagliatelle with Prosciutto & Tangelo

I saw a version of this recipe in the May issue of Bon Appetit and thought, "this is either going to be really good or really strange". Either way, I've been dying to try it and finally tested it out on my boyfriend and a friend the other night. Instead of using orange, I used the zest of a tangelo I picked up at the farmer's market. The citrus flavor was surprisingly mild in the pasta, but provided a burst of freshness to the rich cream sauce. I also added a little basil for color and added flavor.


Tagliatelle with Prosciutto & Tangelo:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add 12 oz. tagliatelle* pasta and cook until 2 minutes before al dente.
• Meanwhile, melt 1/4 stick butter in a large sauce pan.
• Add 3 oz. prosciutto**, ripped into bite size pieces, and saute until brown and crispy (3-5 minutes).
• Drain pasta, reserving 1/4 c. pasta cooking liquid.
• Add pasta liquid, 1/2 c. heavy cream, 1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese, the juice of 1 tangelo***, and the zest of half a tangelo to the pan.
• Bring sauce to a boil and season with salt and pepper.
• Add cooked pasta to the pan and toss until almost all the sauce is absorbed and the pasta is al dente (2-3 minutes).
• During the last minute of cooking, toss in 1 tbsp. of freshly torn basil leaves.
• Divide pasta onto plates and garnish with more fresh basil.

Serves three - four
*A thick, long noodle. You can substitute fettuccine.
**Italian cured ham. You can substitute bacon or pancetta.
***You can use an orange or tangerine if you can't find tangelos.