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Oranges in pasta sauce? Believe it


Use fresh orange zest and juice in a fast pasta sauce. (Photos: Kathy Morrison)

Recipe: Quick Italian recipe also features prosciutto



In the grey months of winter, I love being able to step outside and pick a bit of sunshine. My Washington navel orange tree is loaded with fruit this year, and I bring out the recipes I've stashed for just this season.

I found the recipe here in May 2011, in "The Italy Issue" of Bon Appétit. This type of sauce is from the Emilia region of Italy. The ingredients list is short, and the recipe looked quick. But oranges in pasta sauce? With prosciutto and cream? OK, worth a try once, right?

It became one of my favorite tomato-less recipes. The sauce does come together quickly once you have everything in place (or mise en place as they say in restaurants). It's not too orangey, not too salty, not too creamy -- just a nice balance.

I know this may not be for everyone. On the
Epicurious site, where you still can find the recipe, some commenters mention how they added things to the sauce, or they found the orange too strong. (It's not, really.) If you're going to put in tomatoes or spinach, I feel, make something else -- don't doctor a recipe that's already lovely. And please no bottled orange juice or dehydrated zest; this is a celebration of fresh orange flavor.

The original recipe called for fresh tagliatelle, but I use the fresh linguine you can find easily in supermarket cold cases. Fettucine also is good. Prosciutto can be pricey at delis; I recommend the Trader Joe's house brand: $3.99 for 4 ounces. Bacon could work, but you'll have extra fat in the pan; better to use thinly sliced ham instead if you substitute.

With all ingredients prepped, the cooking will go smoothly.
Important note: Prep everything first. Get the cream out, measure it and let it head toward room temperature; it will blend much better. Grate and juice your orange, shred the prosciutto, even grind the black pepper, because once you start cooking, it will go too quickly to stop.

Why doesn't the cream curdle when it hits the hot pan with the orange juice? I'm not a food scientist, but I suspect the butter works with the juice to neutralize some of the acids, and then the near-room-temperature heavy cream blends in last.

As written, this recipe works for four servings of a first course (or "primo" in Italian) or two generous American-style main courses. It also can be doubled.

Pasta with prosciutto and orange
Adapted from Bon Appétit, May 2011
Makes 4 first-course or 2 generous main course servings

Ingredients:

Kosher salt
12 ounces linguine, fettucine or other long pasta (fresh preferred)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (do not substitute margarine or oil)
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, torn into 1-inch pieces
Zest and juice of 1 orange
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, allowed to sit out during prep time
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:
The cream goes in last when cooking the sauce.
Prep all ingredients before you begin cooking and have them nearby.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with salt; add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until 1 minute before it reaches the al dente point. This should be about 2 minutes for fresh pasta, longer for dried. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water, then drain the pasta. Set aside while you start the sauce.

Melt the butter in a large, heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add prosciutto; sauté until browned, 2-3 minutes.

Stir in the reserved pasta water, orange juice and zest, then add the cream; bring to a boil. Add the cooked pasta to the pan and stir until the sauce coats the pasta and pasta is al dente, about 1 minute. Season with salt and plenty of black pepper.

The finished dish. Sprinkle on more pepper or cheese if desired.

Stir in the cheese, and divide pasta among bowls or plates to serve.

Pasta deserves wine as an accompaniment. Serve this with a dry Italian pinot grigio (not one of those sweet domestic ones) or any other crisp dry white. A fresh green salad and maybe a baguette and you're good to go.









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Dig In: Garden Checklist

For week of Dec. 3:

Make the most of gaps between raindrops. This is a busy month!

* Windy conditions brought down a lot of leaves. Make sure to rake them away from storm drains.

* Use those leaves as mulch around frost-tender shrubs and new transplants.

* Rake and remove dead leaves and stems from dormant perennials.

* Just because it rained doesn't mean every plant got watered. Give a drink to plants that the rain didn't reach, such as under eves or under evergreen trees. Also, well-watered plants hold up better to frost than thirsty plants.

* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while they're dormant.

* Clean and sharpen garden tools before storing for the winter.

* Brighten the holidays with winter bloomers such as poinsettias, amaryllis, calendulas, Iceland poppies, pansies and primroses.

* Keep poinsettias in a sunny, warm location. Water thoroughly. After the holidays, feed your plants monthly so they'll bloom again next December.

* Plant one last round of spring bulbs including daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, anemones and scillas. Get those tulips out of the refrigerator and into the ground.

* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers such as California poppies.

* Plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.

* Late fall is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from fall and winter rains.

* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.

* Plant garlic and onions.

* Bare-root season begins. Plant bare-root berries, kiwifruit, grapes, artichokes, horseradish and rhubarb. Beware of soggy soil. It can rot bare-root plants.

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