Lofranco At Heart

My mother used to joke that I was really an Italian kid at heart because I loved pasta so much. So it was certainly fitting that I grew up with the strangely Italian sounding Filipino surname: Lofranco. Pasta is so perfect, because it can become any taste that you want, comes in many shapes, sizes and textures, and it's pretty. Tonight, my fake best friend, Mario Batali, inspired me to make his Penne alla Papalina, only I am bored of penne, so I used rigatoni. This dish is so good that I am sure I'm going to have pleasant dreams about it tonight!

I have added the peas to the browned prosciutto

Boiling rigatoni

Egg, olive oil and pasta water mixture

A perfectly delicious dinner in 20 minutes.

BFF Mario Batali's Penne Rigatoni alla Papalina

Kosher salt
6 tablespoons olive oil
8 oz sliced prosciutto, in one-inch squares
2 cups frozen baby green peas (I only used 1 cup because my husband dislikes peas)
1 pound rigatoni
4 large eggs
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Coarsely ground pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a pinch of salt.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat, heat three tablespoons of the oil and cook prosciutto in oil until it turns golden brown, about five minutes. Remove from heat and stir in peas.

Drop pasta in boiling water and cook just until tender, or al dente. Drain, reserving about a half-cup of the pasta water. I usually just dip my silicon measuring cup in the water and set it aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, then whisk in the remaining three tablespoons of oil and 1/4 cup of the pasta water.

Add drained pasta to the prosciutto/pea mixture and stir and toss over medium heat to mix well. Add egg mixture, remove from heat, and stir and toss vigorously to cook the eggs slightly.
You may add some of the remaining pasta water to loosen the sauce. Stir in the cheese, season with pepper and serve at once with additional grated cheese on the side. Enjoy the deliciousness!