Pancetta, Yet Again
This is my second (and much more ambitious) batch of pancetta. As with my first pass, this is based on the recipe in Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn. Someone (and I seem to have lost the email) suggested I do the drying in a wine fridge. I happened to have access to one and tried it — the results, as you can see, are gorgeous. Sadly, now I need to buy my own wine fridge.
Ever wondered what to do with pancetta?
Sauté with some garlic and minced anchovies until the fat renders. Add fresh spinach or blanched broccoli rabe, kale, or chard. and cook three or four minutes.
Add sautéed pancetta to risotto, polenta, or even grits.
Use a bit of ground pancetta in stuffed mushrooms.
Mix sautéed pancetta with chopped fresh tomato and shredded cheese as a topping for bruschetta.
Toss chopped, cooked pancetta in a salad.
Make a sandwich using several thin, grilled slices.
It's wonderful stuff.
14 Comments:
Nice looking cure Kevin. And the tie-off job is much neater this time around...that's really important in my experience.
Bob,
Thanks. These bellies were much more uniform in thickness than the last one.
Wow! I can't believe you are making you own pancetta, that is so ambitious. It looks like you did pretty well :)
Katerina,
It's not hard, and it's delicious.
great looking pancetta, Kevin. does it taste as good as it looks?
Ed,
It's the best pancetta I've ever eaten -- far better than anything I've been able to buy. I had some, un-aged (what you see has aged for two weeks in a wine fridge) that I diced, cooked, and added to grits for breakfast.
Wow.. It looks fabulous. Mine is still hanging in my basement for another week... Same recipe.. We also cured some regular bacon at the same time, and it was better than any bacon I've ever had.
Isn't that a great book?
Forza Pancetta!
Jennifer,
Thanks. Wait until you taste it. And I've got a recipe using it with carrots that will be appearing in the next week or two.
dangit....that looks so unbearably good that my arteries are already crying.
Awesome job!
Kate,
And it's soooooo good.
Haha; I've had a link to your blog from my dad for three or four months and just now started reading. The funny thing is I'm in culinary school now and just finished my charcuterie course with Chef Brian. I'd been wondering how I might do some of the drying at home, and love the idea of drying in a wine fridge - makes me wish I'd picked one up one a really good sale back when I didn't think I'd use one enough!
I love the bit of the site I've read through so far and plan to keep looking on.
Brock,
The trouble with most modern refrigerators is they're frost-free, meaning very dry. A wine fridge keeps the temperature low and humidity high, which is essential for pancetta and some other cured meats. It's a brilliant tool.
Dear Kevin,
I think it was me that suggested the wine cooler back in September (I lost your reply e-mail also). You might remember my photo of drying peperone in one from my Charcuterie album on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/13799650@N08/1399479518/in/set-72157602052258190/
I'm so pleased your pancetta turned out so lovely.
Carol,
Yes, it was a brilliant idea, I'm trying to figure out where I could put a wine fridge (and whe I can afford one).
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