Recipe: Fiesole Style Pasta

FIESOLE STYLE PASTA

2 tablespoons butter, divided use
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 pint milk
1/3 cup cream
1 lb package Penne
2 ounces Prosciutto
Salt and pepper to taste (this will depend on how seasoned the prosciutto is)
1/2 to 3/4 cup cooked fresh green peas (optional)
grated cheese (to taste)

Make a bechamel sauce by melting a tablespoon of butter and carefully stirring in the flour to keep lumps from forming. Cook until the mixture is a pale brown, then add the milk, a few drops at a time, stirring all the while.

Continue cooking over a low flame till the sauce thickens somewhat, and then stir in the cream, heat through, and set aside.

Meanwhile, set the pasta to cook in salted water.

Shred the prosciutto and lightly saute it in a large skillet with the remaining tablespoon butter.

Add the bechamel sauce and the peas to the prosciutto and keep the sauce warm.

When the pasta is just shy of being cooked, drain it, turn the flame under the sauce to high, and finish cooking the pasta by tossing it in the sauce.

Serve with grated cheese to taste.

Servings: 4