BACON REVIEW

We picked up some Pancetta at the Fatted Calf. This is some good looking bacon. I have to be honest and say I do not know a lot about Pancetta. This is what I found out .

Pancetta is an Italian bacon that is cured with salt, pepper, and other spices, but is not smoked. Unlike English and American bacon, which are taken from the sides and belly of the pig, may be smoked, and are usually cut into slices, pancetta comes only from the belly, is salt-cured but not smoked, and is generally sold rolled up into sausage shapes. So in all fairness I am going to give it a 5 out of 5 rating. The recipe below sold me.

Rating : 5 out of 5

Price : ?

Where : Fatted CalfThe Oxbow Public Market644 C First StreetNapa, CA 94559
Phone (707) 256-3684email: contact@fattedcalf.com

Rachael Ray is the Perky celebrity host of a Cooking Show on the Food Network. I hate to admit that she is on our TV a lot. One of her catch phrases is to say. " I am going to use some E V O O " (Extra Virgin Olive Oil). If you slow down the Audio, she is actually saying, " I am going to drink some Red Bull". She has a recipe for Creamy Spaghetti and Beans. I will never make fun of her again after trying this recipe. Ms. Goofy made it the other night using the Pancetta from Fatted Calf.

Creamy Spaghetti and Beans

5 to 6 cups chicken stock, 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive, oil 2 tablespoons butter, 1/4 pound chunk pancetta chopped into small dice, 4 cloves garlic, chopped 1 pound spaghetti, 1 medium onion, chopped 2 carrots, cut into a small dice 1 fresh bay leaf 5 to 6 sprigs fresh thyme 1 (15-ounce) can Roman beans or small white beans (recommended: Goya brand) Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 cup dry white wine, eyeball it 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano A generous handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Place the stock in a sauce pot and warm it over medium heat then reduce to simmer.

Heat the extra-virgin olive oil and the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the pancetta to brown slightly. Next add the garlic and spaghetti and toast the noodles lightly, 3 to 4 minutes. Add onions and carrots, bay and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Soften veggies a bit, 5 minutes. Add wine and allow it to be completely absorbed. Add beans then add a few ladles of stock and stir the pasta. Keep adding stock a few ladles at a time allowing liquids to be mostly absorbed before adding more, as if you were preparing a risotto. When liquids are absorbed and spaghetti is cooked to al dente, 12-15 minutes, stir in cheese. Adjust salt and pepper. Turn off heat and stir another minute. Remove the bay and thyme stems. Serve in shallow bowls and garnish with lots of parsley.