tagliatelle alla papalina
tagliatelle in a cream, parmesan, egg and prosciutto crudo sauce
Once upon a time, back in the 1930s, Roman Catholic Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli is supposed to have asked the chef at La Cisterna restaurant in Rome to create a lighter version of the classic Roman Carbonara. And this is what he came up with : soffritto of onions and prosciutto crudo, plus a ‘lighter’(!!) carbonara style sauce of cream, parmigiano and eggs! Eugenio became Pope Pius XII in 1939, almost five years before Carbonara is supposed to have been 'invented' for US troops pining for their eggs and ham as they liberated Rome during WW2.
But Papalina isn't a lot more than a simple variation of Carbonara with cream. So ignore the Carbonara purists and give Papalina a chance. Despite the opulence and the ingredients, you'll find it's actually a delicate and refined dish.
NB There are less well known variations of Papalina which include peas or porcini mushrooms, but other vegetables like asparagus are a fantastic alternative too.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO
(scroll down for the full method)
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prepare the eggs
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grate the cheese
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tear the prosciutto
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chop and cook the onions
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make the egg and cream sauce
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cook the pasta
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combine sauce, prosciutto and pasta
filthy rigatoni
FOR FOUR PEOPLE
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150g prosciutto crudo
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150ml single cream
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70g parmesan
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1 medium onion
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2 yolks
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black pepper
PASTA
400g fresh egg tagliatelle (Astorino)
MANTECATURA (?)
minimal
METHOD
The original Papalina was made with fettuccine - but these Tagliatelle from Astorino are thicker and broader than the usual and a great substitute.
Start by grating some black pepper into a dry non stick pan and toasting it gently. This activates the pepper and smells incredible - as soon as that smell hits you take the pan off the heat but keep the pepper moving in the pan while it cools down a bit - you don’t want to burn it at all. Beat 2 yolks together with the cream in a bowl. Sprinkle in the parmesan; keep mixing to obtain a smooth sauce, then fold in the cream, Set it aside.
Next, cut a medium onion into thin rings (I like to keep the onion sliced in very thin rings, rather than dicing it!). Fry the onion gently in olive oil in the pan with the pepper, but be careful not to give it too much colour. When the onion's softened to your liking, set it aside.
Cook the pasta.
As the pasta reaches 'al dente', fish it out of the Boiling Pan (saving the cooking water) and add it to the cream sauce in a tossing pan Add a splash of cooking water as you toss and combine, off the heat, for about a minute. Add 2/3rds of the prosciutto crudo (hold the rest back to garnish) and all of the onion; toss and combine. Plate each portion immediately and add the rest of the prosciutto to garnish. More cheese and pepper at the table.
