Pancetta Pepper Piperade Recipes

PANCETTA AND PEPPER BAKED PASTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. Add both cans of tomatoes and 1 cup of water. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat slightly, add the basil sprigs and simmer rapidly, uncovered, until thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Discard the basil and season with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and crispy, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl with a slotted spoon.
• Cook the fusilli in the salted boiling water until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain the pasta and add it to the bowl.
• Add the tomato sauce, red peppers, half of the mozzarella and half of the Parmesan to the bowl and stir well to combine. Transfer the pasta to a 3- to 4-quart baking dish and top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, until browned, about 15 minutes. Let the pasta stand about 10 minutes before serving.

PIPERADE

Steps:

• Cut a small X into bottom of each tomato. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add tomatoes and cook until skin begins to wrinkle and peel at the edges of the cuts, about 30 seconds. Drain, rinse with cool water and peel off skin with your fingers. Roughly chop tomatoes and set aside.
• In a 12-inch skillet over medium high heat, heat oil until hot but not smoking. Add onions, peppers and salt and sauté, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent and peppers have started to lighten in spots, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and continue to sauté for 1 more minute.
• Stir in tomatoes, sugar and piment d'Espelette, reduce heat to medium, cover and cook until tomatoes are starting to fall apart and peppers are soft but still hold their shape, about 15 minutes. Remove cover and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens like a slightly runny relish, about 5 minutes more. Adjust salt.

CACIO E PEPE WITH CRISPY PANCETTA

Steps:

• Fill a large pasta pot with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the salt and the linguine and cook until al dente, 10 to 12 minutes.
• While the water is coming to a boil, add the diced pancetta to a large, deep saute pan. Cook until golden brown and crispy, 6 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. To the same saute pan, add the cream, butter and 1 tablespoon of the black pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced by a third, about 5 minutes. Stir in the Parmigiano and the Pecorino until smooth; the sauce will be a little thick. Keep warm over low heat.
• With tongs, remove the linguine from the pot and add it directly to the sauce; toss along with 1 cup of the pasta cooking water to thin the sauce out. Transfer to a large serving platter and garnish with more Parmigiano and Pecorino, the remaining 1 tablespoon pepper, and the parsley. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Serve immediately.

PIPERADE ON CRUSTY BREAD

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pan and slowly cook the onion for 6-8 mins to soften.
• Meanwhile, peel the tomatoes: using a sharp knife, make a cross on the top and bottom of the tomatoes. Pour boiling water into a bowl, and carefully lower the tomatoes into the water. Prepare another bowl of very cold water. After about 30 secs, drain the tomatoes, then plunge them into the cold water. The skins should now slip off easily. Cut into quarters, deseed and roughly chop.
• Throw the peppers and garlic into the onion pan, give everything a good stir and cook, covered, over a low heat for 20 mins or so until the vegetables are really soft and sweet. Stir regularly so that they don't catch on the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes, a pinch of sugar and cook, uncovered, for 5 mins more. Season and stir in the vinegar and the basil. Allow to cool to room temperature, stir through the basil and taste to check the flavours again. You may want to add a dash more vinegar, or a pinch more sugar, depending on how sweet your vegetables are. Spoon onto the baguette slices and serve.

PIPERADE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Sauté the onion, peppers, garlic, salt, paprika, black pepper, and sugar, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked through.
• Add the tomatoes to the cooked vegetables and simmer the mixture, uncovered, for 15 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the sauce has thickened.

PEAS AND PANCETTA

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat; cook and stir pancetta and onion in the hot oil until pancetta is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir peas, white wine, thyme, salt, and pepper into pancetta mixture; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until peas are tender and liquid is slightly reduced, 3 to 5 minutes.

PIPERADE (SAUTE OF PEPPERS, ONIONS AND TOMATOES)

Steps:

• Preheat broiler with broiler rack about 2 inches from heat. Broil peppers for 10 minutes, turning as skins blister and blacken. Remove peppers. When cool enough to handle, carefully peel and seed, discarding skins and seeds. Cut peppers into thin strips.
• In large skillet, using no butter or oil, combine peppers, onions, tomatoes, garlic and herbs and cook, covered, over very low heat for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Mixture should be quite thick.
• Piperade can be made ahead and put into 4 half-cup ramekins or molds. To reheat, place in boiling water bath and cook on top of stove until warmed through, about 10 minutes.