Imperfect Produce accidentally sent me a package of diced pancetta that I didn’t order. When they make a mistake they always just tell me to keep it, no charge.
Anyways, what do I do with it? I’ve never owned pancetta before. It’s already diced and appears to be like 80-90% fat, so I’m assuming that’s really the part that I want?
I have a package of gnocchi, and my plan is to cook down the pancetta until the fat has all melted and then fry the gnocchi in it, then toss in some chopped kale.
I think you already have an excellent plan in place. Do that. If you like it, order more.
If you want another option: sauté the pancetta, reserve the bits and coat halved brussels sprouts with the rendered fat and roast them in the oven, then drizzle some maple syrup and reserved pancetta bits before serving.
@Chefguy pretty much nailed it in one, but your idea sounds good too. I imagine pancetta, gnocchi and kale are great together. A little bit of fresh ground pepper and grated Parmesan on top to finish. Damn, I’m hungry right now. Still too soon for lunch…
ETA: wow, @QuickSilver’s idea is fantastic too. Need to stay away from his thread until after lunch.
Yes. You render the fat out* and use it in pretty much anything that will benefit from porky fatty goodness. And once you’ve rendered the fat, you have bits of crispy porky goodness as well.
*don’t render all the fat unless you want the bits to go from crispy to crunchy, which in my opinion is actually a perfectly good outcome.
Yeah, in the form you have it, use it as basically as a flavorful fat. Carbonara or pasta alla gricia (even more minimalist) is perfect for that (guanciale --pork jowls – is the usual cut of cured pork for both dishes, but pancetta substitutes well and has the advantage of being widely available.) I also use pancetta along with olive oil for the base fats for my bolognese sauce. Just like bacon, it pairs up excellently with onions, or something to fry up your mirepoix in.
Pancetta also comes in thinly sliced slices resembling deli meat, and in those cases, are often just eaten on their own, raw, as part of a charcuterie plate, or you can even put it in a sandwich.
The only caveat here (and to my post as well) is that pancetta isn’t smoked, so bear that in mind when you’re thinking about how it’ll taste compared to cooking something in bacon fat. That’s actually a good thing, mind you, since it’s more versatile. Pancetta works in dishes where bacon grease would blow other flavors right off of the dish.
I like to use it in an omelette - I saute the pancetta with some pepper and onions until the veggies are just starting to soften and the pancetta is just starting to crisp and then add the eggs.
If serendipity threw some diced pancetta my way I would make red beans & rice. I often want to make that but it is troublesome here to get a reasonably priced ham hock or hambone so I never make it.
First, fry some sliced mushrooms in butter+olive oil, nice and browned. Reserve. Then fry the pancetta to render out the fat. When the pancetta crisps up and the pan is full of fat, add a tablespoon of flour, cook for one minute until the flour has absorbed all that lovely fat, then add milk or cream or both to that roux+bits combo. Cook to thicken, then add your mushrooms back in. Season, maybe add some chopped fresh herbs.
Use the rendered fat to sauté a mix of chopped onions, celery, grated carrot, garlic, and basil (I.e. soffrito), then use that as the base for a bolognese sauce.
I don’t know where “there” is, so this may not exist where you’re at, but if you can find any sort of Eastern/Central European deli/grocery, you might have some luck. I live in Chicago, so there’s an abundance of those stores here, and, last I checked, ham hocks are around $2.50/lb maybe? Also, the African-American parts of the city often have a plethora of smoked meats (ham hocks, turkey legs, turkey wings) to choose from for flavoring those beans and greens.
I too use bacon … But I picked up a pack of “jowl bacon” at the farmer’s market last time, which in a completely objective way made it better. Or would have if the egg yolk hadn’t scrambled.