So my first venture with the home cured pancetta was good and I have been thinking of other ways to use it. Today I fixed Linguini Carbonara, it was fantastic. Even my daughter who will turn one this week enjoyed it. I started it by rendering the pancetta.
After the pancetta is crisp you add a cup of creme fraiche, one egg yolk, some parmesan and stir it until it is all combined. It really is that simple to make the sauce. Then you strain out the pancetta and set the sauce aside. While the noodles are boiling you crisp up about four ounces of pancetta cut into a small dice when the pancetta is crisp you drain it and set it aside. Once the noodles are cooked drain them, then add the noodles and sauce to a pan and heat to a simmer add the crisped pancetta, more parmesan and some chopped chives. It is a quick and easy meal for two and was absolutely delicious.
As easy as the pancetta is to make and as good as it tastes I will have to make it back to the market to get more pork belly. There is something greatly satisfying about curing your own meat and having it turn out. The carbonara sauce is equally as easy to make and makes a quick and delicious lunch. Enjoy!
