Linguini with brown butter & prosciutto

I think just about every kid (and adult) on the planet loves to eat pasta with butter and parmesan cheese.  This is a “fancy” version of that classic combination with a couple additional ingredients that add some protein and extra delicious flavor.  You can serve this as a super simple main course with a green salad or use it as a side dish – it pairs really nicely with chicken.

Serves 4-6

1 pound linguini

½ c. unsalted butter

3 ounces prosciutto – sliced thin & roughly torn into small pieces

½ c. toasted pine nuts

½ c. chopped parsley

2 T. lemon juice

freshly grated parmesan

Cook linguini in boiling, salted water until al dente. Drain.

While pasta is cooking, cut butter in chunks and heat in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Swirl the pan so that the butter doesn't burn.  Remove from heat immediately when foaming subsides, butter turns light, golden brown and gives off a nutty aroma.  Careful – brown can turn to black in an instant so pay close attention!

Stir in pine nuts, prosciutto and parsley.  Toss with linguini and freshly grated parmesan.