Penne with Prosciutto, Walnuts & Fried Sage Leaves

By Foodiewife

Fried sage leaves? Don't be intimidated, you're going to love the crunchiness of the sage. Instead of prosciutto, you can easily switch to using pancetta.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces prosciutto, diced (or, try pancetta)
• 5 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped roughly
• salt & pepper
• 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 pound penne pasta
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 25 sage leaves

Preparation

Step 1

Cook your pasta as per directions on the box.

In a heavy skillet heat your olive oil and cook your garlic, prosciutto and walnuts on medium heat until the prosciutto starts to brown (watch that your garlic doesn't burn). Once this is done, take your pan off the heat/burner.

Add your cooked, drained penne pasta to the skillet and mix with the prosciutto mixture. Add 1/2 cup of parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese and toss together.
Sprinkle with a bit of salt and cracked black pepper.

In a separate frying pan, cook 1/2 stick of butter and the 25 sage leaves on medium heat for about 2 minutes till the sage leaves are crisping up.
Pour this delicious sage butter on top of the pasta and serve.