#35 - Fettuccine with Peas, Asparagus, and Pancetta

When her children get married, Mrs. Limarzi thinks a good present for the newlyweds is a subscription to Bon Appetit magazine. Johnny is one of her children, we got married, and so we earned ourselves a subscription. This recipe was on the cover of one of those issues, and we decided to try it out today.

Fettuccine with Peas, Asparagus, and Pancetta

From Bon Appetit
If you want to make this recipe, you're going to have to go to the store first. Unless you live on a farm. A farm that has frozen peas.So, yeah, this recipe calls for a lot of vegetables, and therefore, a lot of prep time. You need asparagus.
And peas.
And parsley and green onions.
All in all, this was an okay dish. It was a surprising meal, as every bite brought forth a different flavor. Sometimes you could really taste the pancetta, and then your next taste you'd notice the lemon or the asparagus or something else.

But since it wasn't knock-your-socks-off wonderful, it probably wasn't worth all of the shopping, chopping, and plopping.If you're a pea-freezing farmer, try this:

Ingredients

• 12 oz fettuccine
• 3 oz pancetta, chopped
• 1 1/4 lbs asparagus, trimmed and cut on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced with white and pale green parts separated from dark green parts
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano cheese
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 Tbs fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbs finely grated lemon peel
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
  
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

Preparation

1. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water, drain, and reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Return the pasta to the pot, off of the heat.
2. At the same time, cook the pancetta in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp.
3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to paper towels to drain.
4. Pour off all but one teaspoon of the drippings from the pan.
5. Add the asparagus, and sauté for about 3 minutes.
6. Add the peas, white and pale green parts of green onions, and garlic. Sauté until the vegetables are just tender for about 2 minutes, and remove from heat.
7. Add the vegetable mixture, dark green parts of green onions, Parmigiano, cream, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon peel, 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking liquid, half of the parsley, and half of the basil to the pasta.
8. Toss together, adding more pasta water if needed, a tablespoon at a time.
9. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
10. Transfer the pasta to a large bowl, and sprinkle the pancetta and remaining parsley and basil on top.