Pistachio Pasta: Ideal Dish for St. Joseph’s Day

A fancy pasta dish is the ideal entree to serve at a meal celebrating St. Joseph’s Day on Monday.

Hot cooked penne is crowned with the familiar Italian flavors of prosciutto and olive oil and the unlikely taste of pistachios and blue cheese in Italian-Style Pistachio Pasta.

The natural tint of green from the pistachios combines nicely with sweet red, green and yellow peppers in this dish that is also pretty enough to serve at a special holiday brunch.

ITALIAN-STYLE PISTACHIO PASTA

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 onion, cut into thin wedges

1/4 cup finely diced green pepper

1/4 cup finely diced sweet red pepper

1/4 cup finely diced yellow pepper

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1/4 pound prosciutto, sliced 1/8-inch thick and diced

1 cup coarsely chopped pistachios

1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed

1/2 cup olive oil

Crumbled blue cheese

Hot cooked penne or other short, tubular pasta

Melt butter in skillet. Add onion and saute until almost tender. Add green, red and yellow peppers, garlic, prosciutto, pistachios, rosemary and olive oil to skillet. Continue to cook, stirring, until hot. Add crumbled blue cheese, to taste. Spoon over hot pasta. Makes 4 servings.