Pancetta

A few years ago I was hunting around in the grocery store for pancetta. It can be found where other cured and prepackaged meats like kielbasa and salami are, or behind the deli counter. (Ask the butcher to cut it thick) It's a type of dry cured meat, similar to bacon. It's made from pork belly that has been cured, salted and spiced. When I found it, there was a recipe printed on the package that sounded really good. I switched gears on the spot and continued my shopping with the new recipe in mind . Pancetta Broccoli Penne 200 - 300 grams pancetta, diced 1 head of broccoli 1/3 C olive oil 2 - 3 Tbsp parsley, washed and chopped * 450 grams penne rigate 1 sm. onion, finely chopped 2 Tbsp bread crumbs 1/3 C Parmesan cheese, grated ** salt & pepper to taste Cut broccoli florets into bite sized pieces. Wash & set aside. Bring a med - lg pot of water to boil. Salt. In a large frying pan heat the olive oil. Add the diced pancetta and cook for about 4 min. Add diced onion and continue cooking till translucent. To the now boiling pot of salted water, add the penne. Boil 5-6 min. Then add the broccoli to the same pot. Continue boiling until the penne is done. About another 5 min. The broccoli will be a nice bright and fresh green colour. In the meantime, turn up the heat on the frying pan and add the bread crumbs. Let them brown a little - about 15 seconds, stirring to combine. Lower heat or remove from heat if necessary. When the penne is done scoop up and save about 3/4 cup of the pasta water. *** Drain the leftover water and add penne and broccoli to the pancetta mixture in the frying pan . With heat on low, stir gently to combine. Add parsley and some of the pasta water. Stir. Sprinkle with Parmesan, stir. If you prefer, sprinkle on top when the dish is plated. Add the rest of the pasta water and stir again. The low heat will evaporate most of the water. Season with salt and pepper to taste. This serves 4 -6 people depending how hungry they are. I like the pasta broccoli in the same pot method. Any time I have fewer pots to wash the better. Another plus is that the saved pasta water is flavoured by both ingredients. This is a flavourful dish when freshly served and it's great as a leftover for lunch the next day. After making this for a few times I have found the following tips work well: **Using fresh parsley makes a big difference. Opt for flat leaf. It's only about $1.00. ***If possible use freshly grated Parmesan cheese. I bite the bullet and buy a piece. An outlay of $8.00+ lasts me a few months. *** Pasta water is often reused and added to a recipe as its starchy property acts as a thickener. I purposely used bold type for this step as it's very easy to just drain, as is the norm when making pasta. The directions here ask to save some but I have absent mind-idly forgotten only to I realized my mistake and watch all the pasta water go down the drain. This is one of those recipes that appears tricky and a lot of work but after you make it a few times it isn't. I hadn't made it for a few months and forgot how good this is. I hope you like it too.