Spinach Ricotta Pesto Pasta With Crisp Prosciutto And Asparagus Recipes

PESTO AND PROSCIUTTO ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line a small rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay the prosciutto slices in a single layer on the parchment, without touching. Bake until crispy and fragrant, flipping halfway through, 18 minutes. Cool completely on the tray, then remove to a plate.
• Preheat a grill pan to medium heat. Remove the parchment from the prosciutto tray and place the asparagus on the tray. Drizzle with the pesto, season with the salt, and toss well to coat. Place the asparagus on the hot grill pan and cook, turning once, until the asparagus has nice golden grill marks and is tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 6 minutes. Transfer the asparagus to a platter, crumble the prosciutto over the top, and break the Parmesan shavings over the prosciutto. Serve warm.

ASPARAGUS WRAPPED IN CRISP PROSCIUTTO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and coat with olive oil.
• Wrap one slice of prosciutto around each asparagus spear, starting at the bottom, and spiraling up to the tip. Place the wrapped spears on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake for 5 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove, and shake the pan back and forth to roll the spears over. Return to the oven for another 5 minutes, or until asparagus is tender, and prosciutto is crisp. Serve immediately.

PROSCIUTTO AND ASPARAGUS PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil; cook asparagus until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove asparagus with a slotted spoon, keeping water boiling.
• Heat a skillet over medium heat; cook prosciutto in hot skillet until crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove prosciutto from skillet and transfer to a work surface to cool; chop.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir green onions until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat; add asparagus.
• Cook linguine in the pot of boiling water until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta water.
• Combine pasta, 1/4 cup pasta water, asparagus, and green onions together in a serving bowl; top with prosciutto.

PROSCIUTTO CRISPS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Arrange the prosciutto on the prepared baking sheet so that the slices are not touching.
• Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, until very crisp. Let cool completely on the baking sheet. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container.

SUNNY'S WINNING PESTO AND RICOTTA TOAST

Steps:

• For the pesto: Toast the pine nuts in a small skillet over low heat until fragrant and lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• In a food processor add the pine nuts, Parmesan, garlic, a pinch of salt, lemon zest, basil and pepper flakes and pulse. Slowly add olive oil while you pulse until the pesto comes together into a consistency that can be scooped without dripping. Transfer to a bowl or resealable container and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
• For the toast: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place the bread slices on a baking sheet lined with nonstick aluminum foil and brush gently with olive oil on both sides. Bake until the edges are golden and the bread is crisp, about 15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
• Spoon some ricotta onto each crostini. Top with the pesto and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, and a squeeze of lemon and pinch of flaky salt if you like. Serve.

SPINACH-RICOTTA PESTO PASTA WITH CRISP PROSCIUTTO AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. When it boils, add pasta and cook as indicated on box.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. When it shimmers, add prosciutto and cook, stirring occasionally, until prosciutto is crisp, about 5 minutes. Add asparagus and toss to coat evenly. Let cook until asparagus just starts to get browned on the edges, about 3 minutes.
• Remove 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Add a few tablespoons of the water to the asparagus mixture, stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to incorporate browned bits, and remove from heat. Drain pasta and return to pot (off heat), add remaining reserved pasta cooking water, asparagus, Spinach-Ricotta Dip, and stir until thoroughly coated. Taste and adjust seasoning, as desired. Serve immediately.
• In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium heat. When oil shimmers, add pine nuts and cook until they make a popping noise and start to brown, about 1 minute. Stir in garlic and onion and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer onion mixture to a food processor fitted with a blade, add in remaining ingredients, and process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning, as necessary.