smoked ham ends
cooking with the onion and garlic
tossing pasta with the ham and cream...
smoked ham, mushroom, pea pasta
I had some leftover smoked ham ends that I bought for New Years Day feast and decided to do something different with them. I have made my versions of pasta carbonara’s for years. Pasta is a quick, easy, delicious way to cook dinner for yourself or a group.
This combination of ham, mushrooms and peas goes back to a dish that my mom used to cook when I was growing up. The smoked ham ends really gave it a bold flavor that traditional ham lacks.
Ingredients:
1 small sweet onion diced
2 cloves garlic chopped finely
1/2 cup diced smoke ham ends
2 cups baby Portobello mushrooms quartered
1 cup of frozen peas
1 cup of heavy cream
1 cup shredded Romano cheese
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 splash of beer
2 portions thin linguine
fresh ground pepper to tase
First bring a pot of water to boil to cook the pasta… Melt one tablespoon of butter over med-low heat and cook onion until starting to get translucent; add garlic and cook for one more minute. Add the diced ham to the mixture along with a splash of beer and let cook for about five minutes. To the pan add the mushrooms and another tablespoon of butter.
When the water comes to a boil; salt the water and throw the pasta in… I used thin linguine which takes about 6 minutes or so to cook. Cook the peas in the water with the pasta for the last minute.
Once the mushrooms have cooked for a few minutes add the heavy cream and half of the cheese to the pan and reduce heat to low. Once the pasta is finished drain and add to the pan with the remaining cheese and butter. Toss the pasta with all the goodies and then place in bowls for serving. Garnish with more Romano cheese and fresh ground pepper.