DINNER TIME! Pasta, Peas, and Pancetta

Here's another dish I'll make when I'm maybe a bit pressed for time and want to get a quality, tasty, and nutritious dinner on the table for my family.

It's very easy to throw together using two pots, doesn't take a lot of time, and I don't get any complaints.

INGREDIENTS

20 oz. pasta (I'm using a half and half mix of farfalle and rainbow - arcobaleno - pasta)
4 oz. frozen peas
4 oz. cubed pancetta
3 tsp. shredded Parmesan
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. minced garlic
4 oz. heavy whipping cream

Boil peas and pasta in pot of salted water.

The pasta I'm using is thick, so it takes up to 12 minutes to be al dente. Depending on your choice, it could be a shorter boil time.

Strain out the water when done and put the pasta and peas back in the pot.

Heat up olive oil in a medium sauce pan on high for 3-4 minutes. When hot, add the pancetta. Add 1 tsp. of Parmesan. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Lower heat in sauce pan to medium/low. Cook another 5 minutes.

Turn off heat, add another teaspoon of Parmesan and stir thoroughly.  After 2-3 minutes off the heat, add the cream and garlic. Stir into the pancetta mix.  Add the sauce to the pasta in the pasta pot and stir.

Serve.

I'm also serving this with Clearman's toast.  Clearman's is a restaurant chain here in Southern California that runs the Northwood's Inn steakhouses, among others. They're famous for their garlic cheese toast.

They sell their spread in local supermarkets. Occasionally, I'll pick up a tub.

Clearman's toast is traditionally made with sourdough sandwich bread. Simply apply the spread liberally to the bread and stick under the broiler in your oven for 1 - 2 minutes...until it looks as done as the picture above.

This recipe serves three to four people with no leftovers. It's a quick, delicious, and easy-to-make dinner that's especially good for a midweek dinner when you don't have time, don't want to spend a lot on take out food, and not feel guilty about what you put on your family's dinner table.

Now that you've read this post, please take a minute to stop by the Musick Channel Garage Sale at Ebay and pick up some bargains from our over 30 years of collecting.

Thank you for your support.

Darryl Musick
Copyright 2018 - All Rights Reserved

This Week's Menu: Cream of Asparagus and Ham Soup and Our New Basic Omelet

Was noticing I didn't have just a basic omelet recipe up here that I could come back and refer to so this week I correct that with our breakfast link below.  For dinner, this is the soup that you'll dream about...I know, because the recipe came to me in a dream (really!) but I did check out some sites to see if wasn't crazy in how to make it.


Good news...it worked like a charm and turned out to be very easy and extremely delicious.


Recipes are at the links below.

DINNER: Cream of Asparagus and Ham Soup

BREAKFAST: Basic Omelet


Darryl
Copyright 2016 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

DINNER: Three Part Cream of Asparagus and Ham Soup.

Sometimes, everything aligns and comes together perfectly. This recipe, which actually came to me in a dream, is one of those. It's appropriate, because this is one dreamy soup!

As the title suggests, this hearty soup is made in three parts , then cooked together to come into one fantastic whole.

INGREDIENTS
One bunch (approx. 1 pound) of asparagus
Three carrots
1 can chicken broth
8 oz. diced pancetta
3 oz. heavy cream
1 small, white onion
1 green onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup all purpose flour

The three parts to make are the vegetable base, the ham base, and the chicken broth. I'm making the vegetable and ham base ahead of time so at dinner, all I have to do is combine in a pot and cook.

Vegetable Base: Cut off the crowns of the asparagus and set aside. Cut the remaining stocks of asparagus into 1/2 to 1 inch lengths.  Peel the carrots with a potato peeler and also cut into the same lengths.

Put the asparagus and carrots into a steamer and steam for 10 minutes.

Take the steamed asparagus and carrots, put into the blender and add one cup of the broth in the bottom of the steamer and puree.

Steam the crowns for five minutes, Put the puree and the crowns into a sealable container and set aside in the refrigerator.

Ham Base: Take the green onion and chop up the green stalks to use as a garnish later.

Put the bulb and the small onion into a processor and chop finely.

Just like this...

The steamer I use is on top of a three-quart stock pot. I melt the butter in the pot and cook the onions until translucent in the butter, stirring the entire time (about 3 minutes).

Add the pancetta, salt, pepper, and garlic. Cook for another 15 minutes on medium/low stirring occasionally. The fat from the pancetta will render down and combine with the butter.

Put in a sealable bowl and in the fridge until you're ready to cook.

I want to cook outside today, so I'm using the side burner of my gas grill (I collect barbecues like some people collect art). The three parts...vegetable base, ham base, and chicken broth...are all put together in the stock pot and cooked on high until boiling.

Once a good boil is achieved, put the flame on low and stir everything together thoroughly.

Put a loose lid on, lower the heat to low, and simmer for half and hour, stirring occasionally.

Put the lid on tight, take off the flame and set aside for five minutes. Then, add the cream and stir in.

Sprinkle some shredded cheese and the chopped green onion stalks for garnish and flavor, then serve.