Schinkenfleckerl

1 lb pasta*
4 eggs
1 lb ham, cooked**
1 cup sour cream
1 oz Sap Sago cheese, grated***
1-2 cups bread crumbs
salt
pepper
nutmeg
4+ oz butter
cream of tartar

* Traditionally, the pasta should be thin 3/4" squares of pasta. However, other pasta such as sea shells, hats, cartwheels, etc., can be substituted.  Broken lasagna is too thick; Spaghetti etc, is too thin. Wide fettucine will serve. 

** Avoid "honey glazed" or other sweet hams.  Use black forest, proscutti, or virginia (country) ham, etc.  Slice about the same thickness as the pasta and cut in suqares or other shape to roughly match the shape of the pasta (no, you don't have to cut it into circles).

*** This is not authentic, but does wonders for the final product. Schinkenfleckerl is as authentically Viennese as Wiener Schnitzel, and as much of a comfort food.  It is what the U.S. macaroni and cheese would like to be when it grows up. 

Cook the pasta as usual, until it is very al dente, then wash it in copious amounts of cold water and then drain thoroughly. (This will both stop the cooking process and also keep the pasta from sticking together.) Toast the bread crumbs and let them cool. Butter a 3-4 qt baking dish generously, and coat with some of the breadcrumbs (as many as will adhere to the butter).  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Separate the eggs.  Cream 2 Tbsp butter with the egg yolks.  Stir in the sour cream, pepper, nutmeg, and ham.  Add salt if needed.  Stir gently into the pasta making sure that each piece of pasta is well coated.

Beat the egg whites with a pinch of cream of tartar until very stiff. Fold gently into the pasta mixture. Pour into the prepared baking dish and top with the remaining breadcrumbs.  Dot the surface of the breadcrumbs with butter and bake for about 45 minutes until a knife inserted into the middle of the pan comes out moist but clean.  The Schinkenfleckerl should be crisp on top and moist and fluffy in the center.  Serve with a green salad.