Prosciutto Melon Pasta

This was unbelievable and so surprising! Who would have thought that a warm cantaloupe pasta sauce was a good idea? But it works beautifully and is now one of my family’s favorite meals. I make this in the summer when cantaloupes are sweet and juicy, but I also make it in the winter when cantaloupes go on sale at the store.  When I’m using an off-season cantaloupe, I just add a few pinches of sugar to the sauce.

*Prosciutto Melon Pasta
(serves about 6)

-Boil 1 lb fettuccine in heavily salted water, reserve some pasta water.
-Heat some olive oil in a skillet and add 8 oz or 1/2 lb. of prosciutto, thinly sliced. Saute til crispy, drain on a paper towel and set aside.
-Add 2 TB of butter to the pan. Allow it to melt and begin to bubble.
-Add about 1 whole cantaloupe, peeled, seeded and diced. Season with a couple pinches of kosher salt.
-Cook melon until it breaks down and becomes very soft (7-10 min or so). Mash with a potato masher until it starts to look like a thick sauce.
-Stir in 1 TB of tomato paste, the juice of 1 lemon (reserve the zest for later) and about 1/2 cup of cream or milk.
-Remove from heat, add pasta, the zest of your lemon, about 1/4 cup of grated parmesan, romano or asiago cheese and all but a handful of your crispy prosciutto.  Toss, add some pasta water if its not saucy enough.
-Serve garnished with freshly cracked black pepper, the reserved crispy prosciutto and a bit more cheese if you’d like.

Trust me, this one’s good.