Strozzapreti Pasta with Prosciutto and Zucchini

Only the Italians can come up with pretty risqué names for dishes.  Take the "putanesca" sauce, homage to Naples' ladies of the night. Also, the next time you are at your favorite pizzeria, why not order men's trousers or "calzone". In the tradition of baptizing food with quirky names, Italians have a knack for giving fun and inventive names to their pasta too: fedelini (Little Faithful), occhi di lupo (Wolf Eyes), orrechietti (Little Ears), radiatore (Radiators), vemicelli (Little Worms).  Today's recipe uses "strozzapreti", which translates as priest-strangler.   Go figure!  Just the name alone is worth giving this recipe a try, not to mention the crispy pieces of Parma prosciutto.

Strozzapreti Pasta with Prosciutto and Zucchini 
 
3 tablespoons extra virgin oil
4 thin slices Parma prosciutto, cut into pieces
400g fresh strozzapreti pasta
1 large sweet onion coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
3 small zucchini sliced
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano (optional)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

In a large skillet, heat up the extra virgin olive oil and cook the prosciutto until crisp.  Set aside and in the same pan and sauté the onions and garlic.  Meanwhile, in a large pot with boiling salted water, add the pasta and cook according to the directions. Reserve some of the hot water when you drain the pasta.  Add the zucchini and oregano to the onions. Cook until al dente and add the white wine to deglaze the pan.  Return the prosciutto to the skillet and toss in the drained cooked pasta. Add some of the reserved water to the pasta if it is too dry. Grate a generous amount of parmesan cheese and toss. Plate the pasta and add extra parmesan if desired.
.