Everyday Food Challenge

As I have said in past posts, I have been trying to improve my photography for you all.

One of the things that makes a huge difference between a good photo and a bad photo is lighting. 

My basement apt has ZERO natural light, which gets very frustrating at times.

However, I have found the sweet spot in my kitchen!  

The spot where the soft light shines in from the window through the curtain and bathes my food in all its glory, making for much better pictures, like the one above.  

There is only one problem.

The sweet spot in my kitchen is not actually in my kitchen at all...it is in our guest bedroom...on the floor.

So now, I will be bringing all of my food at various stages of completion into my guest bedroom and taking pictures of it on the floor.

I guess its no worse than taking it outside.  

So hopefully the pics will only continue to get better.

Until winter, at which point I will have to figure out how to cook dinner at 3pm, before it gets dark. :)

About the food...this recipe was way different than I thought it would be.

I thought it would be a hit for sure, but Logan didn't really like it.  Partially because he hates peas, but also because he just wasn't a huge fan of the flavor.  Don't get me wrong, he ate it.  He just didn't LOVE it as much as I thought he would.

Part of this could be my fault, because I have an aversion to cooking with heavy whipping cream, I won't do it unless I have to...the fat and calories are just ridiculous.

So I substitute with fat free half and half.  Which usually works great...but maybe made the difference in this one.

Also it has you add the prosciutto way too early in the cooking time if you ask my opinion...next time I would add it closer to the end and definitely AFTER I add the parm...because most of the cheese stuck to the prosciutto...which was really weird.

Anyway I liked it and think it is worth a second try and definitely a first try for all of you!

ENJOY!

Pasta with Prosciutto and Peas

S&P (lots of pepper, it made all the difference for me)

12 oz fettuccine

1 T butter

1 large shallot, finely chopped

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 package (10oz) frozen peas, thawed

8 slices prosciutto, about 4 oz, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

1 T finely grated lemon zest

1 T fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente according to the package instructions.

Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water; drain pasta and return it to the pot.

Meanwhile, make the sauce; in a large skillet melt the butter over med low heat.

Add the shallot and cook until softened, about  5 min.

Add cream, peas and prosciutto; bring to a gentle simmer over med heat.  Simmer until peas are heated through, 3-4 min.

Stir in lemon zest and juice.  Pour the sauce over the pasta; add the parm and season generously with salt and pepper.  Add enough reserved pasta water to thin the sauce as desired.  Serve immediately; top with additional parm if desired. 

Serves 4.

Logan Rating: **