Ham pasta is a delectable pasta dish consisting of cooked and chopped ham as an ingredient. The ham is generally included in a sauce made with various other ingredients like olive oil, onion, garlic, tomatoes, flavoring herbs and seasonings, which is served over cooked pasta or tossed with it to make the dish. Like various other pastas, ham pasta is a versatile dish which can be made into various interesting versions by inclusion of additional ingredients like peas, mushrooms, chicken or pork, or by use of different varieties of pasta like angel hair or fussili.
Preparation of Ham Pasta
Ingredients: Ham, pasta, butter, cheese, garlic, onions, tomatoes, salt, pepper and flavoring herbs like basil or thyme are the basic ingredients suggested by the ham pasta recipe. Additional ingredients like stock, wine, cream and various types of seasonings like chili flakes or oregano may be used for making the sauce for the dish.
Use of Ham: Ham is the term used for a cut of meat from the thigh of certain animals such as pigs. Most commercially available hams are cooked or cured. Cooked ham is used in chopped form for inclusion in the dish.
Method of Preparation: To prepare ham pasta, butter is heated in a skillet and chopped onions and cubed ham are sautéed in this till the onion is tender. A mixture of flour, milk, cheese and seasonings, with optional ingredients like peas are blended smooth and added to this mixture. The sauce, thus prepared, is cooked by simmering and then tossed with cooked pasta to prepare the dish. There are many variations to this sauce, common ones including wine or cream.
Serving Ham Pasta
Ham pasta is served hot, with a garnish or grated cheese or basil leaves. It may be served as an appetizer, side or main dish. Common accompaniments are breads and green salads.
Ham Pasta Recipe Variations
- Orecchiette Pasta with Ham, Peas and Cream: This version is prepared by sautéing chopped onions in heated butter, followed by addition of peas and water, and then ham. After cooking for some time, cream is added in, and the sauce simmered for some more time. This sauce is then poured over cooked pasta and tossed to coat. Seasonings of salt and pepper are added in.
- Ham and Mushroom Pasta Casserole: This version is prepared by frying chopped mushrooms in heated butter, and then mixing it with cooked pasta and a pasta sauce is made with butter, flour, milk and onions, and baking the mixture in a casserole dish.
- Ham and Fusilli Pasta: This version is made with fussili pasta, which is long and thick pasta of corkscrew shape. A white sauce made with butter, milk and seasonings is used for the dish, which is tossed with cooked pasta and a mixture of garlic, ham, mushrooms and dry white wine prepared by sautéing in heated butter.
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