Family Favourite – Pasta with Pancetta and Peas

It’s a funny thing how you can make the same dish a hundred times and then suddenly you make the perfect one. I guess it’s called practice

Even though I have loads of cook books and innumerable cooking magazines there are some recipes that I return to time and time again. I’m sure most people have their favourites – either because they are quick and easy or you always have the ingredients on hand, or they are simply so delicious that you never get sick of them. The best ones are those that tick all three boxes.

A couple of nights ago I made the best version so far of one of our family favourites – pasta with pancetta and peas (Donna Hay). The combination of pancetta and peas really is a classic, often paired with cream, onion and garlic. However this version is simple and allows each ingredient to shine. It’s one of few dishes I’ve made that has neither onion nor garlic and while it’s not a tomato based dish, neither does it rely on cream for the sauce (meaning, I guess, it relies on oil or fat but actually there’s not an overabundance of that either).

As there are so few ingredients, every one is important. Crispy pancetta, sweet peas, fresh mint, salty pecorino, al dente egg pasta. What’s not to like?

After making this so many times I’ve very slightly jigged it to suit our tastes, but really it is just about the perfect dish.

Pasta with Pancetta and Peas (Off the Shelf, Donna Hay)

Serves 4

400g of pasta such as penne
1 kg of peas in the pod, or 300g of shelled peas
1 Tbl oil
1 Tbl butter
12 slices of pancetta, sliced
1/2 cup shredded mint leaves
1/4 cup chopped flat parsley leaves
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
cracked black pepper

Place the pasta in a large saucepan of lightly salted boiling water and cook for 10-12 minutes until al dente. Drain. While pasta is cooking, place the peas in boiling water and blanch for 2 minutes, then drain.

Heat a frying pan over medium to high heat. Add the butter, oil, peas and pancetta and cook for 4 minutes or until pancetta is crisp. In a large serving bowl, toss the pea mixture with the pasta, mint, parsley, parmesan and pepper.

My version

Serves 2

200g fettucine egg noodles (Weichs if you can get them)
200g frozen peas
1 Tbl reduced fat dairy spread (or butter)
2 tsp olive oil
100g thinly sliced flat pancetta, chopped
1/2 cup shredded mint leaves
1/2 cup copped flat parsley leaves
50g finely grated pecorino
cracked black pepper

Get the pasta on to boil and while this is cooking fry the pancetta in the butter and oil until crisp. Add the frozen peas to the frypan and cook until defrosted and warmed through and any liquid is cooked off.

Once pasta is cooked, just before draining, scoop two serving spoons of the pasta water into the frypan with the peas and pancetta. Once pasta is drained add to fry pan along with mint, parsley and pecorino and a grinding of black pepper. Toss through and serve.