Not all meat was created equal, and let's say you're looking for something different to top a pizza, sprinkle over a salad, or add a dollop of flavor to some otherwise boring vegetables
We have just the thing for you, and it's a pork product you'll need to stock ASAP
A crispy cube of pancetta is one of the most purely delicious bites on Earth. For carnivores, at least
Decadent, salty, and slightly fatty, pancetta tastes a bit like a union of bacon and prosciutto
without any smokiness. And it elevates any dish that it's added to
When pancetta and pasta come together, for example, it's pure magic. So where do the differences come in
Pancetta and bacon are both made with pork belly, whereas prosciutto is made from a pig's
back leg. Of course, these three pork products can all be used interchangeably if you're in a pinch
but their flavors are certainly varied. If pancetta isn't a part of your grocery rotation and a regular on your cheese boards
here why it should be A cured Italian pork product pancetta is essentially a pork belly that has been seasoned salted and lightly spiced It often seasoned and cured with salt sugar pepper juniper bay leaves nutmeg and thyme
How delicious does that sound? Pretty perfect for a special pork-centric dinner, right
If you enjoy cozy atmosphere, excellent service, and healthy servings of pig meat accompanied by sparkling wines
you'll love ham and bubbly. Making pancetta isn't a quick process, And the curing and drying process usually takes between three and four weeks
Once cured, the pork belly is seasoned and refrigerated, then washed, rolled, and slipped into a casing before being tied and hung
Making pancetta from scratch takes time and patience. However, making pancetta doesn't require an abundance of ingredients
And aside from the pork belly itself, you may already have all of the other ingredients on hand
If you want to pursue making homemade pancetta as a culinary project of sorts
use the freshest pork belly available and be aware that it's a multi-day process
The easiest way to describe pancetta is that it similar to bacon but without the smokiness That because while bacon is smoked pancetta is cured And unlike bacon pancetta is often eaten chilled
and can be eaten raw. Whereas bacon often receives its flavor from the wood used in the smoking process
Pancetta's flavor comes from the spices it's brined and aged in. Pancetta's flavor tends to be a bit more subtle than bacon
but a bit more forward than prosciutto. While sliced pancetta is often served chilled
as a part of a charcuterie board or as a salad topping, pancetta cubes are a great addition to pasta recipes
If your dishes could use a salty kick, pancetta should be on your radar
Pancetta is sold in large hunks, thinly sliced or chopped into small bits
Depending on its preparation, pancetta can be used in a multitude of ways
Pancetta lends amazing flavor to soups and stews, pairs well with green vegetables
and bolsters salads, pizzas and more. It can also be added to a cold antipasto platter
Many grocery stores now stock pancetta alongside prosciutto and bacon, so it shouldn be too difficult to find this porky salty gem Brands including Volpe Foods Boar Head and even Target Good Gather line sell uncured and cubed pancetta
There is a footnote to this, and it's the fact that pancetta tends to be more expensive
than bacon and prosciutto because of the time-intensive curing process it undergoes
Even though you'll likely find it at your local supermarket without issue, you may want to consider it a specialty ingredient
if you're trying to stick to a tight grocery budget. Pancetta, while not an especially good-for-you food, is perfectly suitable in smaller servings
It contains hardly any carbohydrates, sugar, or fiber, but it's also somewhat high in
calories, clocking in around 212 calories per serving. It's also high in fat and sodium, but like all the best things in the world, you can
definitely enjoy it in moderation. If pancetta is the star of a dish, that particular meal may not be the most nutritionally sound
But if pancetta is merely a small part of the dish, you should be good to go
You just might not want to eat it with every meal