Rustic Italian Pasta

This recipe uses Castellana Rustic Italian Pasta that can be found in specialty stores. It is best served 'al dente'. The type of rustic pasta that I used is Trecce dell' Orto (braids of the garden).

Ingredients

1 package rustic pasta (500g)	¼ cup (60mL) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
¼ lb (115g) chopped Prosciuto (or another cured/baked ham)	1 chopped large Yellow Pepper
3 oz (85g) grated sharp Parmesan Cheese	4 oz (113g) chopped Portabella Mushrooms
¼ cup (60mL) Heavy Cream	6 chopped dried sun tomatoes
	2 large cloves of minced garlic

Preparation

Add pasta to boiling salted water.

In a frying pan add the olive oil and sauté pepper, mushrooms, dried tomatoes and garlic.

When the pasta is done (al dente) drain water. Pour drained pasta into a large bowl, add the sautéed vegetables, Prosciuto, Parmesan Cheese and heavy cream. Mix well and serve.

Notes

Prosciuto: less than the ½lb may be used.

Parmesan Cheese: buy a whole piece of imported cheese and grate the cheese when preparing this recipe.

Pepper: This recipe is better with a yellow pepper or orange pepper. I do not use green or red peppers.

Salt: It is not necessary to add additional salt since the ham and cheese have plenty of salt.

Garlic: For best results use a garlic crusher to prepare the garlic.