Tagliatelle with Prosciutto and Orange

This is one of those great recipes that requires minimum effort but delivers maximum results. I made it because last week I made caramel sauce which required some cream. What does one do when one only needs half a cup of cream but one has a whole litre? One figures out how to use it up. Which lead me to Tagliatelle with Prosciutto and Orange. All I had to do was slice some prosciutto into strips and sauté it in butter for a few minutes. Then I added the juice of one orange, some cream and reserved pasta water. To which I added my cooked pasta and a half cup of grated Parmesan cheese. Are you kidding me? I could have eaten the whole batch but I'd already tipped off my family that I was making dinner. So I shared. This time.

Tagliatelle with Prosciutto and Orange from Epicurious

12 ounces egg tagliatelle or fettuccine (preferably fresh)

• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, torn into 1" pieces
• Zest and juice of 1 orange
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with salt; add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until 1 minute before al dente, about 2 minutes for fresh pasta, longer for dried. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup pasta water.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add prosciutto; sauté until browned, about 3 minutes.

Add reserved pasta water, orange juice, half of zest, and cream; bring to a boil. Add pasta; cook, stirring, until sauce coats pasta and pasta is al dente, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in cheese and divide among warm bowls.