Loretta Sebastiani

Loretta Sebastiani
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Italian pasta with king prawns and cotto ham
( Strozzapreti con mazzancolle
e prosciutto cotto )

Our original home cooking

Have you ever tried to combine shellfish and ham in the same pasta sauce? It is a truly exceptional idea. Ideal for your every special occasion: gatherings with your family all year round or Christmas and New Year's Eve dinner party.

difficulty: easy

time: preparation: 20 minutes
cooking: 20 minutes
total: 40 minutes

calories: 665 (kCal)

italian pasta dressed with king prawns and boiled ham-the photo shows italian pasta on a dish with some crustaceans and tomato pieces on top

Ingredients / Serves 2

  • 300g (10.5 ounces) precooked king prawns
  • 50g (1 3/4 ounces) cotto ham, cubed
  • 3 big, ripe but firm tomatoes
  • 1 medium size fresh young onion, finely chopped
  • A bunch of fresh chives, finely chopped
  • A bunch of fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 dried bay leaf
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 150ml (5 fluid ounces) dry white wine
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 250g (8.8 ounces) fresh short pasta
  • Salt
Difficulty:
easy recipe
Time:
preparation: 20 minutes
cooking: 20 minutes
total: 40 minutes
How many calories in a serving?
Calories: 665 (kcal) 34 % - 2783 (kJ)
Protein: 28.8 (g) 58 % GDA
Total fat: 21.5 (g) 31 % GDA
Total carbohydrate: 89.6 (g) 34 % GDA
Sugars: 16.4 (g) 19 % GDA

Download free PDF version (211 download).

Recipe for pasta topped with king prawn and cotto ham sauce

Preparation and cooking

  • - Prepare king prawn sauce.
    Boil tomatoes, 1 minute.
    Then peel them, remove their seeds and cut their flesh into pieces.
    Place onion, bay leaf and olive oil in a non-stick frying pan.
    Let all fry slightly, over very low heat, stirring frequently, some minutes.
    Add tomatoes and let all flavor, stirring now and then, some minutes.
    At this point add tomato paste diluted in a little ladle of hot water.
    Season to taste with salt and continue cooking, half-covered, over a medium heat, stirring now and then. When cooking juice is almost reduced, remove bay leaf, add king prawns and ham and stir very well.
    Check salt. Do not continue cooking over a minute.
    If you prefer a longer cooking, you have to add some water at the beginning, before adding prawns.
    Once turned off the stove, add parsley and chives. Stir very well.
  • - Meanwhile ...
    ... cook the short pasta you've chosen in a plenty of salted water until "al dente" stage.
    Drain it very well and transfer into the pan.
    Complete cooking, over a fierce heat, less than a minute, to amalgamate all the ingredients, stirring with delicacy.

Just before serving

  • - Your dish is ready to be served.

Note

Tips

  • - If you want to prepare it for a special occasion, you have to shell king prawns but remember to let them their head. So it's simpler to eat them.
  • - If you do not find fresh chives, you can use dried one (2 tablespoons).
  • - If tomatoes are not in season, you can replace them with canned peeled tomatoes.
  • - You can also make this recipe with a different shape of short pasta.
  • - You can also make it without salt. It's tasty: try and believe me!

Menu planning

  • - Pasta topped with cotto ham and king prawn sauce is a tasty single-course meal for your family Sunday lunch. You could complete your meal with fresh seasonal fruit.
  • - On the contrary, if you plan a full menu for your gatherings with this recipe too, these doses serve 4 people or more.

Loretta

What's the right wine for " Italian pasta with king prawns and cotto ham "?

My husband and I suggest to match Riviera del Garda Bresciano Chiaretto (rosé wine from Lombardy) or Collio Pinot Grigio (white wine from Friuli).