Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Fresh egg tagliatelle tossed with sliced Prosciutto di San Daniele DOP and mountain butter from the Carnia valleys — a preparation of extreme simplicity where the quality of the prosciutto is the entire dish. The prosciutto is added raw to the hot buttered pasta so that the heat barely warms it, preserving its delicate sweetness and the texture of its fat. A pinch of fresh thyme or marjoram is the only additional seasoning.
Delicate, buttery and sweet; San Daniele's nuttiness and sweetness are the star; brown butter adds depth without competing; thyme whispers in the background — a dish of quiet luxury
{"Use Prosciutto di San Daniele, not di Parma — San Daniele has a sweeter, more delicate flavour suited to this simple preparation","Slice the prosciutto at 1.5–2mm — thick enough to have presence, thin enough to warm through without cooking","Brown the mountain butter to a light hazelnut stage before tossing — pale butter lacks the nutty depth needed","Add prosciutto off heat and toss quickly — 30 seconds of residual heat is enough; further cooking toughens the meat and destroys sweetness","Use minimal pasta water — this dish should not have a sauce, just a light coating of butter on the pasta"}
{"Warm the prosciutto slices at room temperature for 20 minutes before use — cold prosciutto chills the pasta instantly","Fold in a tablespoon of fresh, very soft ricotta at the end for a barely-there creaminess that bridges prosciutto and butter","San Daniele is available in various stagings — 13 months is ideal for this preparation; older is too intense"}
{"Frying the prosciutto before adding — it curls, toughens and loses its sweetness","Adding prosciutto to hot butter over flame — it cooks fully and becomes leathery","Using Prosciutto Cotto (cooked ham) — the dish becomes unrecognisably different"}
La Cucina Friulana — Ricette Autentiche