I remember eating with my parents many years ago at a restaurant in Venice that specialized in unusual dishes, none of which were seafood or risotto, the staples of Venetian cuisine. The restaurant is no longer there, and I don’t remember it's name, but I do remember this delicious dish of pasta with cantaloupe. Its flavor is rich and almost tangy—not as sweet as one might imagine. My mother started making it at home, and now I often make it when we have friends over. Once it is cooked, the melon is mostly unrecognizable, and it’s great fun seeing if people can guess what the sauce’s secret ingredient is.
This recipe was excerpted from ‘Giuliano Hazan’s Thirty Minute Pasta' by Giuliano Hazan. Buy the full book on Amazon. Click through for more of Giuliano Hazan’s favorite pastas →
Recipe information
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Fill a pot for the pasta with about 6 quarts of water, place over high heat, and bring to a boil.
Step 2
Cut away the rind of the melon down to the orange flesh. Cut the melon in half, discard the seeds, and cut the melon into ½-inch dice. Put the butter in a 12-inch skillet and place over medium high heat. Once the butter has melted completely, add the melon and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the melon begins to break down and most of the liquid it releases has evaporated, about 10 minutes.
Step 3
Add about 2 Tbsp. salt to the boiling pasta water, add the spaghetti and stir until all the strands are submerged. Cook until al dente.
Step 4
Add the tomato paste and lemon juice to the melon and stir well. Add the cream and cook until the sauce thickens and reduces by about a third, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Step 5
When the pasta is done, drain well, toss with the sauce and the Parmigiano-Reggiano, and serve at once.
Recipe notes
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