Maccheroncini al Prosciutto Cotto - Baked Macaroni with Ham
This is a fairly rich dish suited to the period from fall to spring. It's standard north Italian of the hearty sort one might expect in a good pizzeria.
Serves: 8-10
INGREDIENTS:
1 3/4 pounds penne or similar ribbed pasta
1 pint cream
1 3/4 cups fairly fluid béchamel sauce
1 pound cooked ham (the kind one purchases in a deli as a cold cut), thinly sliced and shredded
3 cups grated Parmigiano
1/2 cup unsalted butter
Lightly salt a pot of water, bring it to a boil, and cook the pasta; drain it while it's still quite al dente. In the meantime prepare the remaining ingredients and grease a large oven-proof dish with some of the butter.
Preheat your oven to 400 F (200 C).
Upon draining the pasta, combine it with the remaining butter, the cream, half the grated Parmigiano, and the ham. Transfer the pasta to the baking dish, spread the béchamel sauce over it, and dust it with the remaining grated cheese. Heat the dish through in the oven for about 10 minutes (don't let the cheese overbrown or it will become bitter) and serve. You can also run the dish under the broiler for a few minutes to brown the cheese.
B-man
