Paglia and fieno with ricotta cream, zucchini flowers and diced ham
- Gluten Free
- Energy Kcal 526
- Carbohydrates g 67.3
- of which sugars g 5.9
- Protein g 23.2
- Fats g 18.2
- of which saturated fat g 7.68
- Fiber g 3.2
- Cholesterol mg 128
- Sodium mg 911
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: 20 min
- Cook time: 15 min
- Serving: 4
- Cost: Low
PRESENTATION
Paglia e fieno con crema di ricotta, fiori di zucca e cubetti di cotto is one of those dishes that, honestly, just makes a table look special. In Emilia-Romagna, people are super into pasta with real character, and this one really, really has it. Those tagliatelle paglia e fieno? With their green and yellow stripes, they're a classic in the region. The mix of egg and spinach pasta gives you not just color but a little extra flavor, plus that rough surface really soaks up every bit of the ricotta cream pasta sauce.
When the sauce is creamy and smooth, it wraps around the noodles, holding on to all the delicate taste. And the zucchini flowers—called fiori di zucca in Italy?—add a pop of color and a super tender bite that you just don't find in most other dishes. Prosciutto cotto cubes bring this gentle, moist richness that makes every forkful more exciting, way, way better than the sharper kick you get from other hams.
For those who love Italian pasta recipes, the mix of textures and colors is a pretty big deal in these meals. This paglia e fieno recipe really takes Emilia-Romagna ideas and brings them to your plate, combining ingredients that just feel right together. The creamy ricotta sauce isn't too heavy, so you still taste the delicate flavors of the zucchini flowers and those little cubes of ham. Everything comes together in a way that's kind of silky but still lets the pasta keep its own bite.
It's the sort of zucchini flowers pasta that looks good enough to impress guests—no question—but works just as well for a weeknight dinner when you want something a bit different. Between the visual appeal—the golden yellow and green ribbons, the orange of the flowers, and the pink ham—and the balance of creamy and light tastes, this ham pasta recipe feels like a true celebration of Italian ingredients and tradition. People keep coming back to it because, to be honest, it's easygoing, beautiful, and really, just plain tasty. It's the type of dish that captures the core of Italian cooking with its colorful look and satisfying flavors.
- INGREDIENTS
- Egg Paglia e Fieno pasta 11.3 oz (320 g)
- Cow's milk ricotta cheese 1 ¼ cup (300 g)
- Prosciutto cotto 3.5 oz (100 g) - diced
- Zucchini flowers 12
- Vegetable broth 0.85 cup (200 ml)
- Fresh scallion 1 - large
- Extra virgin olive oil to taste
- Nutmeg to taste
- Fine salt 1 pinch
- Black pepper to taste
How to prepare Paglia and fieno with ricotta cream, zucchini flowers and diced ham
To prepare the paglia and fieno tagliatelle with ricotta cream, zucchini flowers, and diced ham, start with the ricotta cream: soften the cow's milk ricotta with a couple of ladles of Vegetable broth 1 and mix with a whisk 2 to make it smooth and creamy. If necessary, add a bit more. Add a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil 3,
a bit of pepper 4, a pinch of salt 5, and grated nutmeg 6. Mix well and set aside.
Clean the zucchini flowers by removing the inner pistil 7, the outer leaves 8, and cut off the base 9, keeping only the flower. You can use it whole or
cut it into strips 10. Proceed to the spring onion: cut off the lower beard and the tougher green part, and chop the tender part 11. In a pan, sauté the spring onion with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil until it becomes soft and transparent 12.
Add the diced ham 13 and sauté for a minute. Turn off the heat and add the ricotta cream 14; if necessary, add a ladle of pasta cooking water to dilute it. Take the paglia and fieno tagliatelle and cook them in plenty of salted boiling water 15,
then drain and add them directly to the pan with the sauce 16. Also add the zucchini flowers 17 and mix well to distribute the sauce over the pasta 18. Plate and serve the paglia and fieno tagliatelle with ricotta cream, zucchini flowers, and diced ham immediately!