Spaghetti Con Prosciutto, Funghi e Asparagi

I am no t a spaghetti person. I prefer all others type of pasta to spaghetti and this recipe will actually work with any other kind of pasta. The reason to cook spaghetti was the contest of same name hosted by Dario Milano from foodpixels . Since the start of the food styling and photography contests I wanted to take part but apparently just a week notice is not enough for me to organise myself.
I knew about the spaghetti contest from its beginning, and had five days to prepare myself, but the topic was more difficult than it sounds.
The good thing out of it was the spaghetti recipe - really really delicious!
And the note to self - to change the approach to the topic next time and start with thinking than shooting.

For the succulent recipe I opted out the tomatoes but to maintain the sourness added some sumac. Sumac is a condiment with a lemony taste and its colour is red-brown.
The other nice addition to the sauce is the Green basil leaves - a bit less strong than normal basil and with a tiny-tiny hint of parsley I'd say.

Spaghetti with Ham, Mushrooms and Asparagus

(serves 4)


1/2 pack spaghetti


1 shallot finely sliced

6 portabellini mushrooms sliced
1 tbsp green pesto

6 slices of ham combined by 3 and rolled, then cut width wise so they become like 1/2 cm thick rounds

200 gr asparagus spears - the bottom 1/3 cut out and the rest of the spear chopped into 3 cm pieces.

150 ml double cream

salt, pepper, olive oil

1/2 tsp sumac

2-3 tbsp freshly cut Greek basil leaves

Method:

Brig water to the boil with a pinch of salt and a dash of olive oil.


In a pan heat 1 tbsp olive oil. Fry the shallots fast, add the green pesto. Then add the sliced mushrooms and fry for 4-5 minutes. Add the asparagus stir for 2-3 minutes, sprinkle with salt, pepper and sumac and cover with the double cream. Leave at low heat for 5-6 minutes until the mixture thickens. A minute or two before removing from heat add the ham rolls and the basil leaves.

In the meantime the spaghetti should be boiled already. Drain, rinse with cold water, divide and place in a 4 bowl. Pour over the sauce and serve.

For extra effort: shape the spaghetti as a well and fill in the interior with the sauce.

Great taste guaranteed!

Another way to enjoy spaghetti as cold salad with Mediterranean Tuna salad - in the next post coming soon!