07.07.09 Pasta with prosciutto and melon

I was in the kitchen tonight for the first time since Sally's arrival (unless you count all those quarts of homemade ice cream), and made a bizarre-sounding but fantastic-tasting pasta recipe from Rachael Ray magazine. It's a twist on a prosciutto and melon dish that was one of Robert's favorites from our trip to Italy. I couldn't find pappardelle pasta at Kroger, so I used whole wheat, wide Fettucine instead.

Pasta with prosciutto and melon
Serves 6

1 lb broad pasta
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/4 lb thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into thin strips
1 cantaloupe, cut into small cubes
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking water.
2. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tbls olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the prosciutto and cook until browned, about 5 minutes; drain on paper towels. Add the remaining 3 tbls olive oil to the pan and increase the heat to high. Add the cantaloupe, season with salt and cook until a chunky sauce forms, about 7 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and simmer for 1 minute; stir in the lemon juice and cream and remove from the heat.
3. Add the pasta, lemon zest, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, and half of the crispy prosciutto to the sauce. Toss to combine, adding some of the reserved pasta water, if needed, to make a thinner sauce. Season with pepper, then top with the remaining prosciutto and more parmesan.