Simple Supper: Spaghetti with Sweet Pea Purée & Crispy Prosciutto

I adore pasta. There's no two ways about it. It's creamy, easy, comforting, & endlessly flexible. Despite it's flexibility, however, I often find myself in a pasta rut. Olive oil, garlic, artichoke hearts, capers, tomatoes, and the like are my go to savory flavors. They're delicious, reliable, and easy, but they have their limits. So, my excitement when I ran across this pea purée recipe on seriouseats.com was palpable. Yet another quick and easy delicious pasta dish, but the resulting flavor is sweet and creamy with a crisp salty bite -- a nice break from the usual salty/savory flavor. This recipe breaths new life into old favorites.

Spaghetti with Sweet Pea Purée & Crispy Prosciutto, serves 2
1/2 pound spaghetti
1 tablespoons butter or olive oil
2 shallots, minced
10 ounces frozen peas
1 cup whipping cream

pinch nutmeg (optional)
salt & pepper to taste
2 slices prosciutto, for garnish
a few parmesan shavings, for garnish

Bring water to a boil in a large stock pot. Meanwhile, mince the shallots and saute in olive oil. Once translucent (about 3 minutes), add in the peas and saute for a moment until bright green (about 1 minute). Toss the peas and shallots in a food processor and pulse. Slowly blend in the whipping cream then transfer back to your sauce pan and add nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Heat through. Drain the pasta and toss in with the pea puree. Plate the pasta, wipe your saute pan down, and fry the prosciutto until crispy (about 4 minutes). Garnish the pasta with prosciutto and parmesan shavings.