Pasta, Peas, Pancetta

Directions

  1. 1Place pancetta into a cold pan and cook until it is nice and crispy.
  2. 2Add a couple drops of liquid smoke to the pancetta for smokiness (optional).
  3. 3Add half of a large diced onion to the pan.
  4. 4Add three minced cloves of garlic and a tablespoon of chicken bouillon.
  5. 5Add one pound of frozen peas and four cups of warm or hot water.
  6. 6Once cooked down for a little bit, pull about half of your peas out and set them aside.
  7. 7Blend the reserved peas with an immersion blender or food processor, along with a good solid handful of basil, to create the sauce base.
  8. 8Add one pound of ditalini pasta to the pan with the remaining ingredients and cook until almost all the liquid is out, leaving a little liquid to loosen the sauce.
  9. 9Pour the blended pea and basil mixture over the pasta and peas.
  10. 10Add a generous amount of Parmesan and mix well.

Ingredients

  • pancetta
  • 2 drops liquid smoke
  • 0.5 large onion diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon
  • 1 pound frozen peas
  • 4 cups warm or hot water
  • 1 pound ditalini pasta
  • 1 handful basil
  • Parmesan

Equipment

cold panimmersion blenderfood processor

Tips

  • You can skip liquid smoke if you don't like it or use bacon instead of pancetta.
  • You can dice the onion finer if desired.
  • Blend half of the cooked peas with basil to create a thick and creamy sauce base.
  • Cook until almost all liquid is out, leaving a little to loosen the sauce.
  • Add cream to the peas/onions when blending to make it blend easier (viewer tip).