Just a Dollop!
Otherwise known as Pasta Carbonara.
I’ve been on hiatus from cooking again. Life happens, sometimes. But the first meal after a long break is extra special. I wanted something that was going to stick to my ribs for a while, but also be good for me at the same time. There’s endless ways to dress up a basic tomato sauce, and this is just one of them.
Rendering down the Fat
I love onions in sauce. (I believe I mentioned that in a previous post). I also love green vegetables in it, such as peas or peppers or asparagus. Red and Green are beautiful colors together, and the white from the onion breaks it up a bit. Hey…red, green, and white..the Italian Flag! Anyway…I had to also use up my slowly decaying basil plant. It’s not going to last too long. I guess I don’t get much sun on that windowsill. Poor basil plant.
Making this sauce includes a extra, separate step. But it’s not hard. All you need is a few thin slices of onion and some pancetta. Pancetta is Italian smoked ham, but regular bacon is fine, too. Pancetta is usually cut thicker, but I ask for mine thinly sliced. Which is why bacon is not much different. I can’t tell the difference half the time, but it feels nice to know I’m using the real thing.
Are your ribs smiling yet?
After the pancetta and onions are done browning, everything goes in one pot to cook. I poured a jar of whole peeled plum tomatoes and their juice in the pot and just smushed them around with my spatula. I like chunkier sauce more than smooth and creamy sauce. I feel like I’m actually eating something. The peas are the easiest. Out of the frozen bag and into the pot they go. Wait till the sauce is almost done cooking though. The peas cook really fast and the last thing you want are mushy green peas.
The ricotta is what makes this dish extra special. Instead of cheese, a dollop of ricotta on top of pasta is such an exciting experience. The ricotta slowly melts on top of the pasta and as you eat it the sauce turns so creamy that it sticks to the strands of pasta. The taste is so much better, too. Just like torn basil leaves, the ricotta gives it a fresh and clean taste. With the pancetta and peas, the dish becomes a little bit more heartier. My ribs were smiling at the end of that meal.
TOMATO SAUCE with PANCETTA, PEAS, and ONIONS
1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 jar of peeled plum tomatoes with their juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 strips of pancetta or bacon, cubes or shredded
1/4 of a small onion, thinly sliced
1 small bunch of basil leaves
1/2 cup of frozen peas
Pinch of dried parsley flakes
Salt and Pepper
2 tbsp of ricotta
1. Heat the oil in a saucepan over high heat.
2. Mince the garlic cloves and put them in the oil. Constantly stir them so they do not burn.
3. Pour in the tomatoes and their juice. Use a spatula to separate them and mush them together.
4. Lower to medium-high heat.
5. In a small frying pan, place the sliced onions and cubed pancetta/bacon WITHOUT oil. The natural fats of the pancetta or bacon will render into the pan and create its own oil.
6. Cook the pancetta/bacon and onions until they are browned.
7. Pour in the onions, pancetta/bacon, and their juices into the sauce.
8. Add salt, pepper, parsley flakes, and shredded basil leaves to the sauce. Cook over medium heat until desired consistency (For me, it took about 20 minutes)
9. When the sauce is almost to your liking, add the frozen peas. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for another 5 – 10 minutes.
TO SERVE:
1. Use long strand pasta. When you twirl the pasta, the meat and peas get caught up in your fork much better than when you are poking shaped pasta.
2. Add a dollop of ricotta on top right before you serve. As you eat, incorporate some of the ricotta into your forkful.
3. Add shredded basil leaves for a fresh taste.
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