Pasta & Bovicetta

Having made what I think is an amazing alternative to Pork Pancetta which I named Bovicetta  I am finding a need to create recipes around this Salumi. Pasta is one of my favorite canvases and it works so well with everything so why not. 

Not wanting to brag but I had to talk about the Bovicetta a little before moving on to the hodgepodge recipe I put together. This baby took near 5 months to complete and it was worth all the wait. It finally weighed in at 7.4 lbs. I have given away at least 50% so far and rest I am using to create different dishes. 

The Bovicetta needs to be sliced thin to eat as an appetizer. To use in larger dishes the Bovicetta is diced up and the fat is rendered. The fat that was rendered is use to build tasty dishes. Almost identical use a the Pork version Pancetta.  

So before I embarked on the road to culinary "what the hell am I gonna make" I had to figure out what kind of pasta dish I wanted to make. For me, making pasta dishes has always been very easy (grew up on a lot of Italian food). All the sauces I make are built on great ingredients. With pasta sauces there are standard ingredients that you need. Once you assemble the basics you can build your dish. Simple enough right? My kids are constantly asking me what's for dinner? 99% of the time I don't have a name but just a main component. This time I said Pasta & Bovicetta. Yea I got that look. All they heard was Pasta. Ok they were happy.

I am a big fan of Mise en place which means "Putting in Place". Basically getting all your ducks in a row. Arranging and organizing all your ingredients so you're never behind or end up missing something. So this is what I did. This dish is made very quickly and you need all your ingredients pre-chopped and in front of you. 

Sliced cherry Tomatoes and chopped shallots.






Gotta Love Chives.

Sun-Dried Tomatoes packed in olive oil and fresh garlic. 

Frozen petite Peas and the Zest and juice from a small orange. 

The star of the show diced up......












Render down the Bovicetta being careful not to burn.







Chop up rendered Bovicetta. You will be using this in the final sauce. Have some sliced Bovicetta on the side.






PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER IS ALL ABOUT SOME BASIC SKILLS AND TECHNIQUES. 

First redner down the Bovicetta. Set aside.

Saute the shallots for a few minutes adding a little salt and pepper. Toss in the Sun-dried Tom garlic mixture and do the same.  

Toss in the cherry tomatoes and cook for a bit. 

Start layering your spices. Whatever you want. I used some crushed red pepper for the kick and some sweet basil. 

Have roasted pine nuts sitting on the side ready to go. Chopped parsley is a necessity. 

Deglaze with a Port. Add beef Stock, or chicken stock and zest and juice of one small orange. Toss in the Peas, some cream and butter. Now comes the creative part. Add Parsley, Parmesan Cheese, the chopped up Bovicetta, and some parsley. 

After you cook the pasta to al dente keep the pasta in the pot. Add some sauce to losen up the pasta and to keep it from sticking. Add the pine nuts, and some parsley. Now my favorite part and the sliced Bovicetta that was chopped up. If need be adjust the sauce. Now go and eat!!!!

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