Whether you have cured your own prosciutto or use store-bought, this classic but more delicate-style recipe of Straw and Hay pasta recipe is one Sue and I fell in love with where you can use either. Actually, we first had Straw and Hay at an Italian restaurant my Aunt Josephine (Sue’s high school Health teacher) recommended – Nanina’s In The Park in Bellville, NJ. Because of this dish and the other phenomenal food we had on our date that night, as well as other times we dined at Nanina’s, we decided to have our wedding there back in the late ‘80s and to this day, everyone who attended still grins and says, “That was the most fun wedding we have ever been to – and the FOOD!” This was prior to Nanina’s becoming a full-fledged wedding venue. We like to think we had something to do wit’ dat.
Now, back to Straw and Hay. If you read “Changing The Game,” you know I have this thing for prosciutto. We use it in a variety of recipes and on its own. So a 1/2-pound or so is always kept in the house. Our version of Straw and Hay is one of the recipes not in “Changing The Game,” and that’s why I’m sharing it here. This is typically a very rich dish. However, I have tried to make it lighter and more delicate like the version I recall having on that date at Nanina’s. So, I use light cream in place of heavy cream, Romano cheese in place of Parmesan, and not a lot of the Romano cheese. You can add more of the Romano at the table if desired. We also cut the richness of the dish by adding pasta water at the end which also makes it go further. You can experiment by adding a little more than the recipe calls for if you want to attempt to “thin it out” a little further. By the way, we liked this Straw and Hay so much, that we had it served as the first course during our wedding… “and the Food!”
Straw and Hay
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons diced shallots
- 1 12-ounce can sliced mushrooms, drained
- 1/3 pound prosciutto, diced thick sliced
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (FGBP)
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup green peas
- 8 ounces linguine or spaghetti
- 8 ounces spinach linguine or spaghetti
- 1.5 cups light cream
- 2 tablespoons Romano cheese (optional)
Instructions
- The two kinds of pasta will cook at different rates. So, begin boiling water in two separate pots.
- In a large sauté pan, melt half the butter over medium-low heat, add the shallots and cook for 2-3 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the mushrooms and cook for another 3 minutes.
- Add the prosciutto, FGBP, and half a teaspoon of the salt and cook for 2 minutes. Then, fold in the peas and cook until they are softened, about three minutes.
- Add a half teaspoon of salt to each pot of pasta water and add the spinach pasta to one pot and the regular pasta to the other. Cook each until al dente.
- Add the remaining butter to the prosciutto mixture and follow with the cream after the butter melts. Bring to a boil for about 1-2 minutes and stir in the Romano cheese. Add one-third to one-half a cup of pasta water from each pot to the saucepan. (2/3 to 1 cup total.) Mix thoroughly for about a minute and remove from heat.
- Drain the pasta when it is al dente and transfer to a large bowl. Mix in the sauce and serve immediately with grated Romano cheese on the side.
Notes
And that is all there is to making Straw and Hay.
