Penne with Mushrooms, Ham, and Cream

Monday 28 November

This is a Marcella Hazan recipe, though from the Internet, not from one of our go-to copies.  It's perfect if you've got a leftover butt of Schad's ham, and I hope you do.

1/4 pound (okay, a pound) cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1 tablespoon butter

2/3 tablespoon shallot (actually a third of an onion), chopped fine

salt and white pepper

2 ounces (2 ounces) good ham, cut into narrow julienne strips

3-4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

grated romano cheese to taste (about 1/4 cup, with more to grate at table)

Put the shallot in a large skillet with 1 Tbsp. butter and cook over medium heat until it becomes golden. Turn up the heat to high and add mushrooms; cook until they have soaked up all the butter, then turn the heat down to low and add salt and pepper. Turn mushrooms over 2 or 3 times.  As soon as they release their juices, turn the heat up high and boil the liquid away, stirring frequently.

Turn the heat down to medium and cook the ham for about 1 minute. Add the cream and cook just long enough for it to become reduced and slightly thickened. Taste and correct salt and pepper.

Toss cooked pasta in the pan; remove from heat and toss with cheese.

The wildly inflated amounts of non-pastoid to pastoid items reflects the fact that this is a full meal for us, not a primo.