♥︎Roasted cauliflower salad with pancetta & baby potatoes

For ➍ 

50 g pancetta♥︎

1 cauliflower 

400 g baby potatoes 

2 cloves garlic 

½ lemon, juice 

10 g flat-leaf parsley

400 g chickpeas 

200 g hummus 

5 Medjool dates 

5 cl tahini 

1 tbs za'atar 

4 tbs olive oil 

salt & pepper 

Preheat the oven to 180°C. 

Rinse the baby potatoes and cut them into wedges. 

Cut the cauliflower into florets and the slices of pancetta in half. Rinse the chickpeas thoroughly and drain. 

Stir the za'atar through the olive oil, squeeze in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle over the cauliflower, chickpeas, baby potatoes and pancetta and mix thoroughly. 

Peel and halve the garlic and mix with the vegetables. 

Roast the vegetables and pancetta in the oven for 25 m until cooked and crispy. 

Stir the tahini into the hummus and spoon a generous amount of the mixture onto each plate. 

Spoon the roasted vegetables and bacon on top and finish with a generous amount of finely chopped parsley and pieces of date.

♥︎Replace with heart-friendly alternative like turkey.

♥︎Egg clouds with pancetta, thyme & oregano

For ➍

80 g pancetta*

4 eggs

2 sprigs of thyme

1 ts oregano

2 tbs olive oil

pepper & salt

Preheat the oven to 170°C. Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. Beat the egg whites until foamy with the thyme, oregano, salt and pepper. Cover an oven tray with baking paper and spoon 4 mounds of meringue onto it. Make a well in each meringue and carefully pour in the egg yolks. Sprinkle with the finely chopped pancetta and place in the oven for 8 m.

Drizzle the eggs with a dash of olive oil and serve. Finish with arugula or another fresh herb if desired.

*Replace the pancetta with smoked turkey bacon or smoked salmon for a heart-friendly version or with spicy chorizo for an extra spicy version.

Roman carbonara

For ➍
10 slices of guanciale, chopped (or pancetta)
500 g spaghetti
knob of butter
1 ts black peppercorns
5 egg yolks
1 egg
3 tbs young pecorino romano, softly grated

Cook spaghetti in plenty of boiling salted water
In a sauté pan, heat a knob of butter, then put in the guanciale or pancetta and fry until golden and crispy. Take off the heat, and lift out to a warm plate, so that it stays crunchy.
Put about a teaspoonful of black peppercorns into the pan and crush with a meat hammer or the end of a rolling pin, then add a couple of spoonfuls of the cooking water from the pasta and stir it around to take up all the bits of guanciale or pancetta which may have stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Beat 5 egg yolks and a whole egg in a warm bowl with 3 tbs of grated young pecorino romano.
1 m before the spaghetti is ready, start to mix in a ladleful of the cooking water at a time until the eggs and cheese become creamy.
Drain the pasta (but reserve the cooking water) and toss it in the pan of pepper, together with the reserved guanciale or pancetta.
Add a little more cooking water if the pasta seems too dry, then transfer it to the bowl of eggs and cheese and toss well, until coated in the silky mixture. The heat of the spaghetti will cook the eggs without scrambling them. Add more black pepper, if you like.

This recipe of Giorgio Locatelli uses guanciale, which comes from the pork cheek, and has less fat than pancetta. Don’t cut it too finely or regularly, as you want a nice chunk to bite into every now and then amid the silkiness of the egg.
Some people add the eggs and cheese to the pan, but it is easy to underestimate the heat of the pan, and the danger is always that the eggs will scramble. So I prefer to mix the eggs and cheese in a warm bowl and then tip in the hot spaghetti, which will cook the eggs but keep their silkiness.
The classic spaghetti carbonare recipe, with links to similar recipes.

Pancetta chicken wraps

For ➍
200 g smoked pancetta slices
4 boneless chicken breast fillets
12 fresh sage leaves
1 tbs olive oil
4 small stems of tomatoes on the vine

Arrange a quarter of the pancetta slices in a row on a board, overlapping them slightly along their long sides. Put 3 sage leaves on the pancetta. Put a chicken breast at one end so that it lies across the slices of pancetta, top with 3 sage leaves and sprinkle with a little sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Wrap the chicken in the pancetta so that it is completely enclosed. Repeat to make 4 parcels.
[When there is enough time, wrap in plastic foil and put in the refrigerator for a few h or overnight. Take out of the refrigerator 30 m before cooking.
Remove the foil when ready to cook.]
Spoon the oil into a large heavy pan (a cast-iron sauté pan is ideal, or you could use a roasting tin). Put the pan on the barbecue and heat for 1–2 m until hot, then lay the chicken parcels in the pan and cook for 7–8 m on each side. The pancetta will become golden and crispy.
Remove the parcels, lay the tomatoes in the pan and shake to coat in the cooking juices, then heat through for a couple of m.
Return the chicken to the pan, take the pan off the heat and leave the chicken to rest in it for about 10 m, so it will cut more easily.
[Or: Pre-heat oven to 190°C. In an oven safe skillet, heat pan over medium-high heat, adding ½ tbs oil per chicken breast. Once the oil is sizzling, reduce heat to medium. Place the chicken breasts, seam side down, for approximately 5 m per side. Rotate until all sides are a nice golden brown. Pop the skillet in the oven for 5-10 m. Let stand for a few m.]
Serve with a plain risotto or large pasta.

Risotto with scallops, pancetta & spinach

For ➍ (as a main course) ➑ (as a first course)
2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
120 g pancetta, cut into small dice
1 small onion, cut into small dice
350 g arborio rice
10 cl dry vermouth
25 cl chicken broth, heated
500 g dry bay scallops
200 g baby spinach, washed, spun dry & coarsely chopped
80 g freshly grated Parmigiano, more for sprinkling
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 4 to 6 mi. Add the onion and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 4 to 6 m longer.
Stir in the rice until well coated with fat. Add the vermouth and cook, stirring constantly until absorbed, about 1 m. Add 1 cup of broth and cook, stirring constantly, until nearly absorbed, about 3 m. Continue adding the broth 10 cl at a time, stirring very frequently until each addition is absorbed, 20 to 25 m total. Add 10 cl of water and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the rice is just barely done, 3 to 5 m more.
Add the scallops and spinach and cook, stirring constantly, until the scallops are just cooked, the spinach wilts, and the rice is mostly tender, with a little chew at the center, about 5 m longer. Stir in the Parmigiano and season to taste with salt.
Serve immediately, sprinkling each portion with a little Parmigiano and a grind or 2 of pepper.

Read tip on cooking scallops. Read tip on cooking rissoto.

Italian meatloaf

For ➍
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
1 jar of roasted peppers 300g
20 g parsley
1 mozzarella, 125 g
600 g ground beef, seasoned (oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage)
10 cl milk
3 slices of white bread, without crust
160 g pancetta, sliced

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Chop the onion and chop the garlic.
Let the peppers drip in a colander. Cut into strips.
Chop the parsley. Cut the mozzarella into slices .
Mix the minced meat in a bowl with the onion and garlic. Put the milk in a deep plate and soak the bread in the milk for 2 m. Squeeze out and mix with the meat.
Line the bottom and sides of the cake tin with the pancetta.
Divide the meat on the bottom and spread about half of the pepper, parsley and mozzarella. Make another layer. Spread the rest of the meat on top and close with the pancetta around.
Bake for about 30 m in the middle of the oven until golden brown. Take out, let rest 5 m in the mold. Carefully pour the fat out of the mold.
Cut into slices and serve with salad and baked potatoes.

Bucatini all'Amatriciana (Amatriciana pasta)

For ➍
500 g bucatini or thick spaghetti
100 g pancetta or guanciale, diced*
100 g ripe tomatoes, blanched, peeled, seeded & chopped
½ onion, minced
pepper, seeded & shredded
10 cl olive oil
freshly grated pecorino Romano

Set the pasta water to heat, salt it when it boils, and cook the pasta.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet, add the diced meat, and cook until it browns, stirring the pieces about. Remove them to a sheet of absorbent paper with a slotted spoon and keep them warm.
Add the onion to the grease in the pan, together with the hot pepper. When it begins to color, add the well drained tomato pieces. Cook, stirring, for 5-6 m, then return the diced pancetta to the pot and heat it through. Drain the pasta while it's still a little al dente, turn it into the skillet with the sauce, cook 1 m more, stirring the pasta to coat the strands.
Serve with grated pecorino.

*Bacon is not a good substitute, because it is smoked and also contains sugar not present in either pancetta or guanciale.

Named after the city of Amatrice in northern Lazio, Amatriciana sauce derives from a much older sauce called La Gricia, which the shepherds used to make by sautéing diced guanciale so gently as to keep it from browning, and adding freshly boiled pasta, a healthy dusting of pepper, and grated pecorino Romano. The Amatriciana sauce, with tomatoes, was initially enjoyed by the nobility, because only they could afford tomatoes.
In Amatrice, it is prepared without onions, which is not typical of standard recipes from outside the area.

Spaghetti alla carbonara (coal miner's wife's spaghetti)

For ➍
400 g dried spaghetti
175 g piece smoked pancetta (at least 0.5 cm thick), rind removed*
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped**
handful flat leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
3 large free-range eggs, beaten***
7 cl white wine***
50 g pecorino Sardo maturo cheese (mature Sardinian pecorino), finely grated
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Bring 4 l of water to the boil in a large saucepan with 8 ts of salt. Add the spaghetti and cook for 9 m or until al dente.
Meanwhile, cut the pancetta into short little strips, about 0.6 cm wide.
Heat a large, deep frying pan over a medium-high heat, add the oil and the pancetta. Fry until lightly golden. Add the garlic and parsley and cook for a few s, then remove from the heat and set aside.
Drain the spaghetti well, tip into the frying pan with the pancetta, garlic and parsley, add the beaten eggs and half the grated pecorino cheese. Toss together well.
Season to taste with a little salt and black pepper. The heat from the spaghetti will be sufficient to partly cook the egg, but still leave it moist and creamy.
Serve in warmed pasta bowls. Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.

*Belly-meat, not to be confused with ordinary ham.
**Or cut cloves in half, add to the heated oil, remove after finishing the sauce.
***Use only the egg yolks and add white wine to the pancetta, garlic and parsley mix.

Although associated with Lazio, the region around Rome, the origin of this recipe is uncertain. Some say it was taken from Umbria to Rome by revolutionaries in the 19th century; other people say it belongs to a Neapolitan noble, Ippolito Cavalcanti, who published it in a book.
This dish could derive from the union of ingredients and ideas between the U.S. soldiers, arriving in Rome in 1944, and the chefs of the local restaurants. The soldiers supplied bacon and powdered eggs, the chefs their fantasy. This was the version became widely spread after WWII in America and Europe, most of the time with cream (and eventually mushrooms) added to the sauce, making it look and taste like fettuccine Alfredo, an hybrid American-Italian pasta favourite. The charcoal in the name refers to the baking of the bacon. This recipe is close to that favoured by the official Accademia Italiana della Cucina.
Read more on American-Italian hybrids: fettuccine Alfredo, spaghetti alla puttanesca, chicken Marsala, white pizza, American Italian spaghetti with meatballs & tomato sauce.
Read more spaghetti & linguine recipes: a quick spaghetti, spaghetti with scallops & tomatoes, scallops & rucola spaghetti, spaghetti with vegetables, shrimps fra diavolo, raw tomato spaghetti, spaghetti with clams, spaghetti with small clams, spaghetti with oil & garlic, spaghetti alla puttanesca, Palermo spaghetti with tomatoes & mint, American-Italian spaghetti with meatballs, vermicelli with parsley sauce, shrimps & Brie linguine, butter & tomato pasta sauce, lemon pasta with sea spinach.
Read the Japanese fusion recipe for pasta carbonara. Or an American café version.
Use the Roman version with guanciale, cured pork cheeks.

Risotto con lenticchie e pancetta (risotto with lentils & pancetta)

For ➍-➏
400 g short grained rice
150 g drained boiled (or canned) lentils
½ medium onion, minced
1 clove garlic, chopped
200 g pancetta, diced
50 g unsalted butter
1 tbs olive oil
10 cl full bodied dry red wine, warmed
25 cl simmering broth
salt & pepper to taste
100 g freshly grated Parmigiano

Sauté the onion and the garlic in half the butter and the olive oil, in a saucepan. As soon as the garlic begins to color, remove and discard it, and then add the pancetta to the pan and continue to cook, stirring. After a couple of m, add the rice; cook for another 3-4 m, stirring, and then add the wine. When it has evaporated begin adding the broth, a ladle at a time, and cook, stirring.

After about 8 m add the cooked lentils to the rice and continue cooking, adding broth as it is absorbed, until the rice reaches the al dente stage. Check seasoning, stir the remaining butter into the risotto, and let it rest covered for 1 m.

Serve, dusted with grated cheese and freshly ground pepper, and more cheese for those who want it.

Read the risotto tip.

Spiedini di capesante e pancetta (skewered scallops with bacon)

For ➍
skewers:
12 scallops
12 slices flat pancetta (or bacon)
olive oil
side dish:
3 potatoes
20 shallots
a sprig fresh thyme
vinegar
butter
olive oil
sugar
salt
sauce:
1 red bell pepper
1 small onion
1 potato
stock (optional)
olive oil
salt & pepper

Wrap the scallops in the strips of pancetta. Skewer them, 3 to a spit. Cook them over a brisk flame, in a skillet in a little olive oil, for 5 m, turning them to brown all sides.*
To make the side dish, boil the potatoes, peel them, dice them, and sauté them in a skillet with a little olive oil and the thyme, turning them to brown all sides of the cubes.
Peel the shallots and sauté them in a separate pan with butter; when they have browned and softened add a little sugar and some vinegar to glaze them, and cook them until tender, adding broth or water as necessary and checking seasoning.
To make the sauce, finely slice the onion and sauté in olive oil until translucent. Peel the potato, and dice it, as well as the pepper. Add them to the onion, cook a few milonger, add some broth or water, and cook until the potatoes are tender. Blend and check seasoning.
Arrange the scallops on serving dishes with the vegetables, sauce them and serve.

*Or preheat the oven to 180°C and bake for 15-20 m.

Spiedini are the Italian version of Middle Eastern kebab. Every variation is possible, and can be served with a sauce and a side-dish for a full meal. Alternatively, add some chopped vegetables or fruit (for instance onions in this recipe)or even bread to the skewers to have a snack.
Alternate: 16 scallops with coral, 8 slices of bacon, 1 clove garlic, 1 large onion, chopped parsley, some bay leaves cut in half, pepper and a few slices of lemon for garnish:: chop the garlic finely and mix in a bowl with the chopped parsley and freshly ground pepper; wrap 8 scallops into the bacon; prepare the skewers, alternating chopped onion, bacon roll, half a bay leaf and pieces of scallop; put on the grill turning the skewers every 5 m until well colored; serve hot with lemon wedges.
Read tip on cooking scallops.

Japanese pasta carbonara

For ➋
40 g freshly grated pecorino romano
1 large raw egg
freshly ground black pepper
1 tbs olive oil
125 g guanciale, pancetta or bacon
1 small shallot minced
2 slow cooked eggs*
chopped chives
175 g pasta (spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine) boiled according to package directions

Put the pecorino and black pepper in a large bowl and set aside.

Boil the pasta according to the package directions and drain.

Add the olive oil to the pot you boiled the pasta in and fry the guanciale (or pancetta or bacon) and shallots until it is cooked and the shallots are fragrant. Add the drained pasta to the pot and toss to coat.

Dump the pasta into the bowl with the cheese and pepper then break the raw egg on top. Toss to distribute the egg and cheese evenly.

Top each bowl of pasta with a slow cooked egg* and sprinkle with chives.

Slow cooked eggs, 'onsen tamago' in Japanese means egg in hot spring, as the temperature of a hot spring at 77°C is the ideal cooking temperature to slow cook an egg, where the yolk stays creamy and the white turns into custard. Replace them with poached eggs.
Read the classic Italian spaghetti carbonara. Or an American café version.

Petto di pollo, pancetta e carciofi (chicken breast & artichokes)

For ➋
2 fillets of chicken, skin off
salt & pepper
30 ml olive oil
4 strips of pancetta
8 halves of artichoke with stalks, tinned or in a jar
60 g unsalted butter
juice of ½ lemon
1 small bunch of Italian parsley
Parmigiano cheese

Season the chicken and brush with olive oil. Place in a sauté pan over a moderate heat until golden (3-5 m). Remove from the heat and place the chicken on an oven or grill tray. Put in a 200°C preheated oven for 20-25 m or until cooked through.

Lay the pancetta on a separate grill tray and place in the oven with the chicken until crispy, about 15 m. Remove and set aside on kitchen paper.

Heat the remaining oil in the pan used for the chicken and place back on the heat. Add the artichoke halves cook for 4-5 m until just softened. Add the butter and allow to brown over a high heat. When ready, drizzle over with the lemon juice and scatter with torn Italian parsley.

To serve, divide the artichoke between two plates with a breast of chicken. Trickle over any juices left in the pan. Garnish with a criss-cross of pancetta and shavings of Parmigiano.

A quick spaghetti

For ➍
500 g spaghetti
4 slices pancetta (½ cm thick)
12 small tomatoes
3 onions*
1 clove garlic
bunch arugula or rucola
bunch fresh basil
100 g pine nuts
Parmigiano cheese
5 cl olive oil
black pepper & salt**

Put a large pot of water on the fire. Add a generous portion of salt and bring water to a boil. Add the pasta. Cook the spaghetti al dente, 7-8 m.

Scatter the pine nuts in a fireproof dish. Toast them under a hot grill until golden brown, 2-3 m. Shake a few times to colour the seeds evenly colored.

Cut the tomatoes into wedges.***

Chop the onion and garlic. Heat olive oil. Cook them without browning.****

Cut pancetta into strips. Add to the onions mix. Reheat.

Add tomato chunks, be careful to keep the chunks intact while warming.

Drain the pasta. Add the pasta into the mixture of onion, garlic, pancetta and tomatoes. Add black pepper.

Pour the mixture into a large bowl. Just before serving, add the rucola and basil leaves.

Sprinkle the pine nuts over the pasta. Add some shavings of Parmigiano cheese.

*Use large shallots instead.
**Salt can be omitted, as the pancetta and the Parmesan already contains salt.
***When using larger tomatoes, peel and deseed them.
****Put a lid on the pan.

Read more spaghetti & linguine recipes: spaghetti with scallops & tomatoes, scallops & rucola spaghetti, spaghetti alla carbonara, spaghetti with vegetables, shrimps Fra Diavolo, raw tomato spaghetti, spaghetti with clams, spaghetti with small clams, spaghetti with oil & garlic, spaghetti alla puttanesca, Palermo spaghetti with tomatoes & mint, American-Italian spaghetti with meatballs, vermicelli with parsley sauce, shrimps & Brie linguine, butter & tomato pasta sauce, lemon pasta with sea spinach.

Asparagus & pancetta hash

For ➍
125 g pancetta, diced
500 g spring potatoes, peeled, cut & diced
1 small yellow onion, chopped
250 g asparagus, tough ends trimmed, cut into 2.5 cm segments
salt & pepper to taste
olive oil*

Heat a cast iron frying pan* over medium heat. Fry the pancetta, turning it frequently so that it browns and crisps, for 10 m. Remove it with a slotted spoon and drain it on paper towels.

Leave the heat on and the renderings in the pan*.

Add the potatoes. Don’t move them for a couple minutes. Use this time to season them well with salt and pepper. Once they’ve gotten a little brown underneath, begin flipping and turning them, then letting them cook again for a few minutes.

When the potatoes are about ¼ as crisped and brown as you’d like them, after 15 m, add the onion. Cook for 5 m more. Add the asparagus, cover the pan and cook for 5 to 8 m, or until crisply cooked.

Remove the lid, return the pancetta to the pan for another minute, to reheat.

Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.

Serve immediately with fried eggs, dabs of goat cheese and slivers of green onions. Or with broiled salmon. Or pork cutlets.

*With a well-seasoned cast iron, this should be all the fat you need. Otherwise, use 1 tbs of oil. Or, when not using pancetta or pork, 2 tbs of oil.

Pancetta wrapped Brussels sprouts

For ➍-➏, makes 24 pieces
24 Brussels sprouts, blanched
50 grams butter, unsalted
24 strips thinly sliced pancetta
2 tbs sage honey
50 g sliced almonds
thyme

Cut off bottom of Brussels sprouts, wrap in pancetta and place them in fire proof glass dish.

Melt the butter. Add 2 tbs of honey, add thyme and pour over the Brussels sprouts.

Sprinkle the almonds on top. Bake it in a 180ºC preheated oven until pancetta is crispy.

Gulyas alla Triestina (Trieste beef stew)

For ➍
750 g lean beef, cut into 5 cm cubes
1½ tbs sweet paprika
6 tbs olive oil
125 g pancetta, 0.5 cm thick, cut into 0.5 cm strips
2 large brown onions, chopped
½ ts cayenne pepper
1 ts cumin (fresh if possible)
2 tbs minced garlic
15 cl red wine
150 g seeded, chopped canned plum tomatoes with juice
1 sprig of rosemary & marjoram each, 1 bay leaf
grated zest of ½ lemon
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Rub the meat with ½ tbs paprika, 1 tbs salt and 2 tbs of olive oil. Cover and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Remove from refrigerator 1 h before cooking.

Preheat oven to 130°C.

Heat a large pan to medium. Add some oil (4 tbs for the whole process). Add pancetta and let it render its fat (7 m). Remove pancetta and put on a plate.

Raise the heat to high. Brown beef cubes, adding olive oil as needed. Remove meat.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the 2 onions and fry, add more oil as needed, until softened.

Stir in 1 tbs paprika, cayenne, cumin and garlic. Boil for 5 m.

Add the beef, pancetta, wine, tomatoes and their juice, herb sachet, and lemon zest. Stir for 5 m. Transfer to an oven-dish, cover and simmer for 2 (to 2,5) h*.

Discard herbs. Season stew to taste. Tastes best refrigerated overnight, then reheated.

Serve with buttered pasta, mashed potatoes, polenta or rye bread and a strong ruby wine like Trieste refosco or some Carso rosso.

*Alternatively, cook on stove-top in cast iron cookware. Cover tightly and simmer for about 1 (to 1.5) h on low heat. Uncover during last half hour for a thicker version.

The Adriatic city of Trieste came into bloom as the only sea-port of the Austro-Hungarian empire, and, being a frontier city for ages, about as great a melting-pot of nationalities as the capital Vienna. After the defeat of Austria in World War I, the Free-State Trieste became part of Italy.  After World War II and Yugoslavian occupation it finally became an Italian city, keeping the heritage of Slavian and Austrian influences alive.
This fusion gulyas (goulash) is close to the Viennese version of an originally Hungarian dish.