Macaroni with Prosciutto

How to Cook Everything

Tomorrow on Good Food, I'll be talking to Mark Bittman of the New York Times about soup.  His book, How to Cook Everything has some great recipes for dishes that can keep you warm this winter.  Here's a great one for Macaroni with Prosciutto, Tomatoes, and Whole Garlic Cloves.

MAKES: About 4 servings
TIME: About 30 minutes
 
Not for the timid, but beloved by many, including me.

Salt
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil or butter
10 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
1/2 cup prosciutto or other salted ham or slab bacon, cut into cubes or strips
6 plum tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped, or 11/2 cups chopped drained canned tomato
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound cut pasta, like ziti or penne
1 cup roughly chopped fresh basil leaves
1 cup freshly grated pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese or a combination

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Put the oil, garlic, and prosciutto in a medium to large skillet over medium-low heat. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is deep gold, nearly brown, all over, 10 to 15 minutes.
       
2. Add the tomatoes, along with a sprinkling of salt and pepper; stir and cook while you cook the pasta. Spoon some of the pasta-cooking water into the sauce to thin it out a bit if it looks dry.
       
3. Drain the pasta when tender but not mushy, reserving some of the cooking water. Toss the pasta with the sauce and most of the basil, along with the cheese, adding a little of the reserved water if necessary to thin the sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Chop the remaining basil more finely, garnish the pasta with it, and serve.