Though historically served in broth like different varieties of pasta, passatelli can be scrumptious served with sauces. Italians refer to those dishes as ‘passatelli asciutti’, that means dry passatelli. This recipe, which I first found on a visit to Ravenna, pairs passatelli pasta with prosciutto and Parmigiano cream plus, some black truffle.

This dish combines a number of the greatest meals the Emilia-Romagna area has to supply and is probably the most scrumptious passatelli recipe I’ve tasted.
What’s passatelli?
Passatelli is a standard kind of pasta from Emilia-Romagna, and components of Marche and Umbria. However, not like common pasta, passatelli isn’t made with flour and water or eggs. Italians make it with breadcrumbs, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (or Grana Padano), eggs, and often a little bit of nutmeg and lemon zest.
The dough is combined till agency, then pressed by a particular passatelli iron (or a potato ricer with giant holes) instantly into simmering broth. Passatelli cooks rapidly and is often served in broth (passatelli in brodo).


Nonetheless, as on this recipe for passatelli pasta with prosciutto, you’ll be able to take away the passatelli from the broth and serve it with a sauce (passatelli asciutti) or bake it with different elements.
Passatelli has a tacky, fragrant, and barely nutty taste due to the breadcrumbs and Parmigiano. Italians like it for being easy but satisfying. It’s typically made at dwelling for festive or cold-weather meals.


Plus, you’ll discover passatelli on the menu in trattorias serving native delicacies within the areas the place it’s conventional, as we did in a restaurant known as Osteria Passatelli in Ravenna. The distinction between the dish we had in Ravenna and this recipe is that they grated the truffle.


What’s culatello?
The prosciutto crudo on this passatelli recipe is culatello, one in all Italy’s best and most prized cured hams. It’s thought of a real delicacy, particularly within the Emilia-Romagna area.
This prosciutto is comprised of the perfect, leanest a part of the pig’s hind leg generally known as the guts of the prosciutto. The identify culatello really means “little bottom.” To make culatello, they rigorously trim, salt, and season the meat (typically with garlic and wine). They then stuff it right into a pure pig’s bladder, hand-tie it, and hold it to treatment for a lot of months (typically 12–18).
Culatello is extra delicate, tender, and sweeter than different varieties of prosciutto. It has a silky texture, deep pink shade, and a fancy, barely nutty, winey aroma. Historically, it’s sliced paper-thin and served merely with bread. Nonetheless, it’s scrumptious utilized in pasta recipes in the same method to pancetta or different of prosciutto crudo.


Components on this passatelli pasta with prosciutto recipe.
To make the passatelli you have to..
Breadcrumbs: One of the best breadcrumbs are do-it-yourself with stale white bread.
Parmigiano-Reggiano: Freshly grated Parmigiano provides a salty, nutty taste and helps bind the dough. You should use Grana Padano as a substitute.
Eggs: Eggs act as a binder and add richness to the dough. I want to make use of free vary natural eggs for his or her taste and dietary worth.
Lemon zest: Lemon provides a mushy citrus notice and enhances the general taste. Use natural lemons with edible pores and skin.
Nutmeg: This spice provides a heat, fragrant taste to the passatelli. Freshly grated is greatest.
Inventory or broth: When serving passatelli in broth Italians often make a do-it-yourself meat broth. For this recipe, you’ll be able to prepare dinner the passatelli in a store-bought low-sodium meat or vegetable broth and even in boiling salted water like different varieties of pasta. I used a vegetable broth. I believe it provides extra taste than utilizing water.


To make the sauce you have to.
Parmigiano-Reggiano: This well-known and far beloved conventional cheese comes from Emilia-Romagna, so it’s the pure alternative for this recipe. It melts very well and provides the sauce a barely salty and nutty style. It’s also possible to use Grana Padano with is slightly sweeter and fewer salty than Parmigiano.
Milk or single cream: The Italian cheese sauce on this passatelli recipe is made by melting cheese into milk or cream (fonduta). You should use both complete milk or single cream. The latter will give the sauce a richer taste.
Culatello: This prosciutto crudo shouldn’t be that simple to search out outdoors of Italy. To substitute use San Daniele, Prosciutto di Parma and even pancetta.
Black truffle: Black truffles might be discovered in lots of components of Italy, together with Emilia-Romagna. When in season, they’re added to plenty of dishes, significantly eggs, risotto and pasta, like this passatelli with prosciutto. You can also make this recipe with out contemporary black truffle or use slightly truffle oil or butter so as to add some truffle taste.


Step-by-step directions.
To make the passatelli, try my do-it-yourself passatelli recipe.
To make the sauce.


1 Minimize the culatello (or different prosciutto crudo) into small strips. Then fry it in slightly butter till barely crispy. Switch the fried prosciutto to a bowl coated in kitchen paper to empty extra fats.


2. Soften the grated Parmigiano into heated milk or cream and stir till the sauce thickens. Use a pan large enough so as to add the cooked passatelli in.


3 Cook dinner the passatelli in boiling broth till they rise to the floor (about 5 minutes). You might have to prepare dinner the pasta in batches relying on what number of you make and the way large your pot is.


4 Use a slotted spoon to switch the cooked passatelli to the cheese sauce and blend gently collectively.


5 Add the fried prosciutto and a few salt and pepper to style. Combine once more and plate instantly.


6 In case you are including black truffle, use a truffle shaver so as to add skinny slithers of truffle to the dish or a microplane to grate truffle on high. Serve instantly.
What to do with leftovers.
You possibly can preserve leftover passatelli pasta with prosciutto within the fridge in a sealed container for a few days. The leftovers might be reheated within the microwave with slightly added milk or baked within the oven with some grated cheese on high. The consistency will probably be completely different to the unique dish, however the style will probably be simply pretty much as good.
FAQs
Sure you’ll be able to, I typically prepare dinner some passatelli in broth and freeze the remainder on a tray in a single layer after which put them in a freezer bag. After I wish to have them once more, I simply take the passatelli out of the freezer and prepare dinner them from frozen.
You’ll need to make use of a vegetarian parmesan and omit the proscuitto for a vegetarian model. Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano and Grana Padano aren’t vegetarian cheeses.
Sure you’ll be able to, simply use gluten free breadcrumbs. Contemporary truffles are gluten free though truffle flavored merchandise like truffle oil might not be.
Let me know what you assume.
Right here in Italy, we will purchase prepared made passatelli which makes this recipe quicker to arrange. However do-it-yourself passatelli usually are not so troublesome to make and nicely well worth the effort. For those who do that scrumptious passatelli with prosciutto and Parmigiano cream, please let me know what you assume. I fell in love with this dish and I am certain you’ll too!
Please write a remark right here on the weblog or on the Pasta Challenge Fb web page. Your suggestions is way appreciated!
Buon appetito!
Different recipes with black truffles.
1Pasta with truffles and mascarpone.
2 Tagliolini with taleggio and black truffle.
3 Tuscan ricotta gnudi with black truffle.
4 Creamy sausage pasta alla Norcina.
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