Cooking with and Serving Pancetta

[nacho]

How long does sliced pancetta stay good in the fridge? I bought from Central Market some pancetta m________ (molinari?) about a week and a half ago. It's a rolled pancetta, so the slices are spirals (pinwheels?), and the deli guy cut it about the thickness that is typical of pre-sliced bacon. Is it still safe to eat after a week or two in the fridge?

Thanks!

[russ parsons]

i like pancetta all ways (including raw, if it's good stuff, spread on hot crostini ... mmmmm). the other night i made a really simple salad with arugula and fresh mushrooms and garnished it with thinly sliced pancetta, still in the wheel shape, that i'd crisped in a pan just like you would bacon. it made a nice touch. and as a recent book pointed out: everything's better with bacon.

[viaChgo]

When I was in Italy, it was common to see the thinly sliced pancetta on a salumi platter in a restaurant. I thought it was a little weird to eat it raw too but hey when in Rome...(actually it was Bologna). But it's no different than other types of cured meats. So it's not gross at all!

[Kent Wang]

How long does sliced pancetta stay good in the fridge?  I bought from Central Market some pancetta m________ (molinari?) about a week and a half ago.  It's a rolled pancetta, so the slices are spirals (pinwheels?), and the deli guy cut it about the thickness that is typical of pre-sliced bacon.  Is it still safe to eat after a week or two in the fridge?

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P.G. Molinari & Sons (San Francisco).

It should stay fresh indefinitely, at least a few months, since it's already cured.

[Bill Miller]

How long does sliced pancetta stay good in the fridge?  I bought from Central Market some pancetta m________ (molinari?) about a week and a half ago.  It's a rolled pancetta, so the slices are spirals (pinwheels?), and the deli guy cut it about the thickness that is typical of pre-sliced bacon.  Is it still safe to eat after a week or two in the fridge?

Thanks!

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Yes--it also freezes well.

[PicnicChef]

I love pancetta, either uncooked, sliced thin, or cubed, rendered and used in a wonderfully simple pasta dish taught to me in tuscany. I'm happy to share...

render some pancetta

add some hot pepper flakes, as much as you like, a pinch will do

now some nice diced red onion...sweat

porcini mushrooms, a nice handful,

cook through (no need to saute, a hot pan will overdo everything else)

add some nice heavy cream

now a dibble of romano, freshly grated...

cook until thickened

pasta, I like fettucine, right in the pan...

toss.

Eat

Enjoy.

[*Deborah*]

Sliced into squares or thin-ish strips, sautéed

Add that puréed tomato in a carton (smooth! and v fresh-tasting)

Freshly-ground dried rosemary (works better than fresh in this application because it's smooth)

Finish with half-and-half or heavy cream

Serve with gnocchi

[aliaseater]

i like pancetta all ways (including raw, if it's good stuff, spread on hot crostini ... mmmmm). the other night i made a really simple salad with arugula and fresh mushrooms and garnished it with thinly sliced pancetta, still in the wheel shape, that i'd crisped in a pan just like you would bacon. it made a nice touch. and as a recent book pointed out: everything's better with bacon.

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I would take those spirals of pancetta and, rather than crisp them in a pan, bake them in the oven between two sheets.

The result is a wonderfull crisp flat disk.

Excellent as a garnish for a salad or, perhaps, a nice pice of roasted black cod...

[rabidscottsman]

My Mother in law just dropped off a 3/4 pound slice of pancetta and i was wondering if anybody had any ideas for me on what to do with it. I was thinking of adding it to Fettucini Alfredo but after some serious soul searching I figured id try something something else.

Thanks for the help everybody!

[aliaseater]

Do you have a slicer?

Slice the pancetta thinly (like bacon), sandwich it between two half sheet pans (lined w/ parchment) and bake until crispy.

You get these wonderful flat discs that pair very nicely with a roasted fish and give great presentation!

[Shalmanese]

I always wanted to try mamster's Pancetta Embossed Chicken

[DTBarton]

Pancetta and chicken is a great combination. One of my favorites is this cacciatore style dish.

Salt and pepper chicken pieces and brown them well. I like dark meat better, but anything's fine. Set aside. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. Saute 1/4 lb. of diced pancetta until it starts to brown. add 3 diced garlic cloves and a cup of diced onion and saute for a couple minutes. Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup of good Marsala. Add one regular can of diced canned tomatoes and about 1/4 cup diced fresh rosemary. Add about 3 cups chicken broth and simmer for 5 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan, cover, and braise at a simmer until the chicken is done, about 40 minutes or so. Serve with pasta and grated parmesan. You can also add diced mudhrooms with the garlic and onion if you like.

A decadent dish is to make a rich sauce by sauteing diced pancetta in melted butter. Add some chopped fresh sage, ground pepper and just enough chicken stock to make it saucy. Serve over cheese ravioli or, even better, gnocchi, with grated parmesan.

[Kerry Beal]

Can't find the exact recipe, it was in one of the Lee Bailey cookbooks, but you take slices of fennel, drizzle with olive oil, broil, turning once until softens, top with the thinnly sliced pancetta. Broil some more until pancetta is crisp. Dress with lemon and nice black olives.

It tastes marvelous and has a nice combination of textures.

[Pontormo]

Sigh. Here I go again, but : please, I invite you to spend some time down in the Italian forum where there are individual threads devoted to individual regions of Italy whose titles begin "The Cooking and Cuisine of...." These were begun in January of this year, starting with Piemonte; Kevin72 has his own impressive year-long thread (2005).

Browse through the dishes participants prepared, or conduct a search to find "pancetta" mentioned in posts.

Pancetta fequently is used to enhance the flavor of a dish, crisped at the beginning so that the fat melts and mingles with olive oil before chopped onion, garlic or other ingredients are added and softened. THEN you add the chicken or the tomatoes or....(depending on the dish).

Meanwhile, since you've got a sizable hunk (spiral?), slice it about half an inch thick. Wrap each individually and freeze the pieces. Pancetta thaws rapidly when frozen this way and easier to dice when only partially thawed. That way, you give yourself time to find uses.

P.S. One of the best uses is in hearty soups for cooler weather, especially those laden with beans and dark greens.

Edited October 23, 2006 by Pontormo (log)

[ludja]

...

Pancetta fequently is used to enhance the flavor of a dish, crisped at the beginning so that the fat melts and mingles with olive oil before chopped onion, garlic or other ingredients are added and softened.  THEN you add the chicken or the tomatoes or....(depending on the dish).

...

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Adding pancetta to your sauteed onions, carrots, etc (soffrito) will start almost any vegetable risotto off on the right foot...

[sadistick]

The obvious Spaghetti carbonara would be one great way to put some of that pancetta to use.

Another would be to make a great bean and/or lentil dish - sauteed onions, crispy pancetta, nice lentils then finished with good evoo and lemon juice...mmm

And heck, if you are still leftover with a slab left and dont know what to do, you can always send me some

[Tom_June]

Bucatini all'Amatriciana?

[NYC Mike]

Bucatini all'Amatriciana?

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I'd second that and the Carbonara for sure. <insert drool emote face thing>

Congrats on a great gift!

-Mike

[The Hersch]

Eat it raw. I don't mean that rudely.

[Domestic Goddess]

Make it one of the components of your pasta e faglioli and it will give your soup a heartier flavor.

[Kevin72]

As Pontormo says, cube some of it and freeze it to augment the aromatic base for soups and such. Also, sandwich these cubes between quail or other game birds on a skewer and grill.

In his first cookbook (I think) Mario Batali has a recipe for thick slices of pancetta that are grilled and then placed on top crostini along with onions that have been caramelized with red wine and balsamic vinegar. Really outstanding and perfect stuff for the fall.

[beandork]

wrap some asparagus with the pancetta, pan fry until crispy, serve with bearnaise

*dribble*

[rabidscottsman]

As Pontormo says, cube some of it and freeze it to augment the aromatic base for soups and such.  Also, sandwich these cubes between quail or other game birds on a skewer and grill. 

In his first cookbook (I think) Mario Batali has a recipe for thick slices of pancetta that are grilled and then placed on top crostini along with onions that have been caramelized with red wine and balsamic vinegar.  Really outstanding and perfect stuff for the fall.

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That sounds like a great idea for corstini. I have it in the freezer for me to use this weekend!

[lcdm]

I've made pork tenderloin wrapped in pancetta (recipe off the weber website). I't very very good.

http://www.weber.com/bbq/pub/recipe/view.aspx?c=pork&r=170