Tagliolini al prosciutto di San Daniele with poppy seeds

5 from 34 votes

A creamy, rich and luxurious pasta recipe from Friuli Venezia Giulia made with melt-in-your-mouth Italian prosciutto crudo (cured ham)

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italian, Northern Italy

Keyword: authentic Italian pasta recipe, Italian dry-cured ham, pasta recipe, prosciutto crudo, San Daniele, tagliolini

Servings:

Calories: 833kcal

Author: Jacqui

400 g tagliolini pasta (14oz) I used fresh tagliolini from Giovanni Rana. You can also use fettuccine or tagliatelle
150-200 g prosciutto di San Daniele 1 thick slice (5-7oz) or other Italian cured ham
4 slices prosciutto di San Daniele or parma ham cut as thin as possible.
200 ml fresh cream (7floz)
50 g butter (2oz)
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
salt for pasta and to taste
black pepper to taste

Cut the thick prosciutto slice into small cubes or juliennes. Dry toast the poppy seeds in a small frying pan until they are fragrant (2-3 minutes). Don’t let them burn.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Add salt once it starts to boil and bring to the boil again.
Heat butter in a deep frying pan or skillet. Add the cut pieces of prosciutto and let it saute for 1-2 minutes, until it changes colour. Add the cream, stir and add some of the toasted poppy seeds. Let the cream reduce slightly and then remove from the heat. Add black pepper and salt to taste.
Cook the tagliolini until al dente according to the instructions on the packet. If fresh or homemade the pasta will cook very quickly.
Drain the tagliolini and add to the pan with the sauce. Stir everything together well and let it cook for a couple more minutes on a low heat, until the sauce is partially absorbed.
Plate the pasta and sprinkle some more poppy seeds on top. Arrange a thin slice of prosciutto on top and serve immediately.

You can use other pasta ribbons such as fettuccine or tagliatelle instead of tagliolini.

This recipe is best made with prosciutto di San Daniele, but other prosciutto crudo such as Parma ham would work too.