One of Italy’s quieter regions, Friuli Venezia Giulia offers iconic decadent dishes, waiting to be discovered. Renowned chef Michael Bonacini from Gusto’s Bonacini’s Kitchen shares his exploration of the region with his take on a traditional meal. For his primo, Michael prepares a unique Poppy Seed, Sage, and Prosciutto Pasta, a dish that is a twist on traditional pasta, featuring beautiful, hand-cut, poppy seed-flecked pasta and a quick sauce of fried sage, crisp prosciutto, and butter.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
Pappardelle:
2 cups (470 ml) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons (30 ml) poppy seeds, toasted
¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) salt
4 eggs
Toppings:
¼ cup (60 ml) butter
16 sage leaves
3 ½ ounces (100 g) sliced prosciutto, cut in half
2 tablespoons (30 ml) poppy seeds, toasted
Ground black pepper
Lemon zest, for garnish
Grated parmesan, for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
For the pappardelle:
Mix together the flour, poppy seeds, and salt in a large bowl.
Transfer the flour mixture to a working surface, making a large pile, then make a deep well in it.
Crack the eggs into the well and gently beat with a fork. Begin to pull flour into the egg mixture from the edges of the well as you beat, until it becomes too difficult to keep working with the fork.
Use hands to combine the rest of the dough, then knead until it is a soft, smooth ball.
Set aside to rest under a kitchen towel for 30 minutes.
Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. If you have a pasta roller, roll out pasta using the 3rd thinnest setting. If you don’t have a pasta roller, use a rolling pin to roll out until you have one smooth sheet of pasta about 1/8-inch (~3 mm) thick.
Using a pasta/pizza cutter wheel, cut the pasta into long thick strips about 1-inch (2.5 cm) wide.
Reserve pasta on lightly floured baking sheet until needed.
For the toppings:
Heat the butter in a frying pan over medium heat until the foam subsides.
Add sage leaves and fry until crispy. Remove to a lined plate and reserve, also reserving the butter in the pan.
Add the prosciutto and cook until crispy, 3-4 minutes. Remove to a lined plate and reserve. Keep the pan with the flavored butter.
To finish:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat the flavored butter over medium heat.
Cook the pappardelle in the boiling water for 1-2 minutes, until al dente.
Lift the cooked pappardelle noodles from the water, drain slightly, and transfer to the pan with the flavored butter. Toss to coat.
Crumble sage leaves and crispy prosciutto into the pan, reserving some for garnish. Toss to combine.
Add a small ladle of pasta water to the pan, toss and cook for 1 minute, until a sauce forms and clings to the pasta. Season with pepper.
Transfer to serving dishes and top with reserved crispy sage and prosciutto.
Garnish with lemon zest and parmesan and serve immediately.
