Squash Raviolini in Brown Butter with Crispy Prosciutto

Ciao a tutti!! I eat pasta quite a lot, so I am always looking for new and fun things to do with it. When I tell people I have a few favorite pastas, they usually think I am strictly referring to the shape. But the truth is, there is so much more to pasta than the shape! Although, the shape has a lot to do with the flavor. Some just have that bite that I’m looking for, like my old friend orechiette! But, there are other times when I am going for something more classic, like ravioli. Or in this case, raviolini. Raviolis were my childhood favorite and I still absolutely love them. But, I don’t actually eat them that often. I like to have them once and a while to keep the memory special.

The raviolini I used in this recipe are made by La Piana which makes fantastic  pastas (for the times that I’m too tired to make homemade!) These are Squash Raviolini. I made them in a simple brown butter sauce with sage and to add a little extra kick…wait for it….some crispy prosciutto. That’s right…crispy prosciutto. Here’s the funny thing…whenever I have prosciutto around, there is always one or two slices left and I’m never sure what to do with it. It’s like a cookie, you can’t eat just one!! So, I hate to just eat it as is, because then I’ll be sad that I have no more. What I like to do is find a way to incorporate it into a dish that stretches it. I fry it and crumble it in little pieces over the pasta. 

You can use any type of pasta you want with this brown butter sauce and crispy prosciutto, but I love the combination of the slightly sweet, earthy flavor from the squash, the silky brown butter sauce and the smoky, crunchy prosciutto. It’s an amazing blend of flavors. Perfetto!

Squash Raviolini with Brown Butter and Crispy Prosciutto

The Pasta:

1 box of La Piana Butternut Squash Raviolini (or any type of pasta you like!)

Start by preparing a deep pot with water salt over high heat and cover the pot. While it is boiling, prepare the prosciutto and sauce…

The Prosciutto:

4 slices of prosciutto

1 tbsp. olive oil

Prepare a medium size pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and let it get hot. Add the prosciutto to the pan. Let it heat on one side for around 2-4 minutes and flip it and allow to cook for another 2-4 minutes. Take it out of the pan and let it sit. When it sites for a few minutes, it will really dry and crisp beautifully. In the same pan, you can now prepare the sauce…

  

The Sauce:

½ stick of butter

Sage (I find I only need a few small pieces since sage is strong)

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

Add the butter, sage, salt and pepper to the pan over medium heat and allow the butter to brown slightly.  

By now, the pasta water should be boiling, so you can add the ravioli. Cook until al dente, around 5 minutes. The will soften a little in the sauce. Strain the pasta and add to the brown butter sauce. Now, using your hands, crumble the prosciutto over the pasta and very lightly toss. Buon Appetito!!