Pancetta pangrattato

Ingredients Pasta, parsley, lemon, butter, egg yolks, old bread, garlic, pancetta, parmigiano.

Preparation: 15 minutes (5 if using fresh pasta)

Bread is the stuff of life in this house. Rarely a meal goes by that does not include bread, whether by design or because my husband habitually makes everything into a sandwich (even soup!) and I delight in slathering my leftovers on toast. Bowie forbid either one of us ever develops a random gluten intolerancy. It would be intolerable.
Our leftover bread is torn up for panzanella, strata or blitzed into crumbs to coat everything from croquettes to goujons. This week, however, breadcrumbs have been thickening sauces. Once upon a time, when the Italians were poor they would substitute breadcrumbs for parmigiano in pasta, but my pangrattato (translation: grated bread) features parmigiano and bread and parsley and pancetta so it's more of a prosperous man's pasta and packs a real punch of flavour - it's also super quick to prepare.

1) In one pan, bring the pasta to the boil in hot, salted water and leave to simmer for 8-10 minutes. If using fresh pasta, prepare the other ingredients first as the pasta will only take 2-3 minutes to cook.

2) In a second pan, melt a tablespoon of butter and fry off the pancetta, stirring to allow the fat and butter to combine. Take off the heat and crack in an egg yolk per person and whisk briskly for around 30 seconds.

3) Stir in the breadcrumbs, parmigiano, and freshly chopped parsley and add a squeeze of lemon.

4) Drain the pasta and stir into the sauce until coated. Serve hot.

Pancetta & Mushroom scramble

Ingredients 100g Pancetta, 3 eggs, 3 chestnut mushrooms, bread, butter

Serves: 2 Preparation: 10 minutes

I am allergic to mushrooms, so they very rarely feature in this blog. I do however cook them for my husband from time to time, and this is one of his favourite breakfasts.

1) Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk them. Season lightly with salt and black pepper and set aside. Good scrambled eggs should never be diluted with milk.

2) Finely slice the mushrooms and add to a pan along with the pancetta and a generous knob of butter. Stir through for 5 minutes on a low heat, then add the eggs.

3) Turn up the heat a little and continually stir the eggs to prevent them sticking to the bottom of the pan. Within about 5 minutes the eggs should be firm but not dry. Serve on toasted bread and eat immediately.

Pancetta, leek & gruyere risotto

Ingredients 1 cup risotto rice, 1 cup cider, 1 white onion, 1 pint ham stock, 1 leek, 100g pancetta, 100g gruyere

Serves: 2 Preparation: 30 minutes

Piggy bits, leek and some sort of cheese have been combined many times in this blog. There is a good reason for this - it's delicious comfort food for people who eat meat, and what is more comforting than a risotto?! All risottos (no matter what the ingredients) can be made in 3 simple stages. The first is called tostatura - coating the rice in fat, the second involves cooking off some alcohol and the third involves releasing the starch from the rice one ladle of stock at a time.

1) Dice the leek and sautee in a little butter until soft. Add the risotto rice and stir until the rice becomes transparent, revealing a white dot in the centre and pour in the cider.

2) Once the alcohol cooks off, add the first ladle of stock and stir through.

3) Continue adding the stock to the risotto, one ladle at a time, adding the pancetta with the second to last ladle of stock.

4) Stir through the grated gruyere and serve.

Pancetta, pea & avocado soup

Ingredients 175g pancetta, 1/2 pint ham stock, 300g garden peas, 1 avocado.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 20 minutes

A while ago, I posted a recipe for a fabulous vegetarian soup - pea & avocado which is made with vanilla yoghurt and marrowfat peas. It's thick, rich and velvety and not as sweet as you might expect. Recently I was looking for a new soup idea for a dinner party and thought of mixing the fresh sweetness of garden peas with perfect piggy savoury notes and revisiting that lovely thick avocado texture. Give it a try.

1) Bring the ham stock to a simmer, then add the garden peas and cook for 5 minutes. Strain the peas from the stock (do not discard) and pulse in a blender thoroughly.

2) Pass the peas through a sieve and back into the ham stock to separate the flesh from the skins - this helps your soup to be smooth textured. It might seem like a lot of fuss but trust me - it's worth it!

3) Add the pancetta and allow to cook for a further 5 minutes. The soup shouldn't need seasoning due to the savoury ham stock and pancetta but taste it, and add salt and black pepper if required.

4) Halve the avocados and scoop the fruit from the shell, discarding the stone. Pulse the avocado in the blender and stir into the soup before serving with a dollop of Greek yoghurt.

Apple & pancetta crumble

Ingredients 1 Bramley apple, pancetta, butter, soured cream, oats, flour, parmigiano

Serves: 4 preparation: 20 minutes


Pig and apple is a combination I have demonstrated many times on this blog -  from burgers to bakes and rice salad to cannelloni it doesn't have to be as traditional as pork and apple sauce. Savoury crumbles are wonderful - toasty oats and the sharpness of parmeggian topping roast vegetables and cheese is a particular favourite of mine and one I will be sharing in coming posts. This mini crumble makes a wonderful starter with a dollop of soured cream in place of a custard.


1) Core, peel and dice the apple before sauteeing in a little butter. Add the pancetta after 2-3 minutes and sizzle, stirring until the apple has begun to soften.




2) Spoon into ramekins and set aside.


3) Mix 2 tablespoons of flour to 1 tablespoon of porridge oats, add a teaspoon of parmeggian and rub in a teaspoon of butter until fine crumbs form.


4) Spoon onto the top of the apple and pancetta and bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes, until the crumble topping has turned golden brown


5) Serve hot with a dollop of soured cream

Pea, mint & pancetta fritters

Ingredients   60g polenta, 1 egg, peas, pancetta, mint, halloumi, olive oil (Optional: Rachel's Organic Greek Yoghurt)

Serves: 2 preparation: 10 minutes

 Fritters are traditionally a sort of savoury doughnut, but thin like a pancake full of stuff, but like potato cakes - I like to make mine a bit thicker. Pea, mint & pancetta as a flavour combination are absolutely wonderful but combined with the salty tang of halloumi this makes a great comfort food.

1) Whisk an egg and stir in the polenta.

2) Finely chop the mint, cut the halloumi into chunks and stir along with the peas and pancetta into the polenta. If the texture is a little dry I like to add in a little Greek yoghurt.

3) Form a patty and drop onto a lightly oiled pan. Sizzle for 2-3 minutes on each side then serve.

Chestnut & pancetta soup

Ingredients    1 can chestnut puree, 175g     pancetta, 1/4 leek, butter, pumpkin oil, truffle oil 1/2 pint ham stock

Serves: 2 Preparation: 20 minutes

Chestnuts are currently having a revival in my kitchen and this rich, velvet textured soup had my husband all but licking the dregs from the pan. This will be going on my list of ultimate Christmas soups but as our British summer is so miserable right now, why not try it early?

1) Dice the leek and sautee in a pan with a little butter. Once soft, add the pancetta and chestnut puree and turn the heat down to a simmer.

2) Dilute the soup with the ham stock and simmer for a further 15 minutes.

3) Season to taste with salt and black pepper and serve with a drizzle of pumpkin and truffle oil.

Easter bake

Ingredients 1 hot cross bun, 1 egg, marscapone, pancetta, 1/2 apple, parmigiano, butter, 1/2 leek.

Serves: 1 preparation: 20 minutes


Easter is, to me - a non religious person, time for indulgence. Chocolate, hot cross buns... what could be better!? The leftover hot cross buns make the most perfect base for a bake. Leek, bacon, apple, cheese... *drools*


1) Slice the hot cross bun in half, and then cut each half into 3 strips. Lightly butter the top side and alternate the top strips butter side down in a baking dish with the bottom strips (unbuttered) up.


2) Finely dice the leek and apple and sautee in a little butter until soft. Remove from the heat and stir in the pancetta.


3) Whisk the egg with a tablespoon of marscapone and pour over the hot cross bun strips. You can leave this to rest for up to an hour if you wish to allow the bread to soak up the egg, but just make sure to add a little extra before baking. Layer with the leek, apple and bacon mix, then add a layer of grated parmeggian.


4) Bake in the oven for around 10 minutes or until the cheese begins to bubble and turn golden brown.

Pancakes - Asparagus, pancetta & gruyere

Ingredients 120g plain flour, 2 eggs, 210ml milk, 90ml water, 1 tbsp vegetable oil, butter, asparagus, pancetta, gruyere, basil oil.

Makes: 6 pancakes Preparation: 40 minutes


Pancetta and asparagus are lovely together; salty and rich, which in combination with the gooey gruyere is heavenly!


1) Mix the flour with a pinch of salt in a large bowl, make a well in the centre and crack in the eggs.


2) Measure 90ml water in a pyrex jug, then top it up to 300ml with milk.
Beat the eggs into the flour with a wooden spoon and gradually beat in the milk and water mixture until smooth.


3) Stir in the vegetable oil and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes but preferably an hour.


4) Drizzle the asparagus with a little basil oil, sprinkle with salt, stir in the pancetta and grill for 5 minutes.


5) Heat a non-stick frying pan until very hot, then add a small knob of butter. Pour in one ladle of batter, quickly turning the pan off the heat to coat the base evenly with the batter. Return to the hob and cook for about one minute, until the base is lightly browned. I like to use a spatula or palette knife to just loosen the edges of the pancake - once the air gets under it you will find it does not stick to the pan but slide about which helps it to flip!


5) Flip over the pancake (if you have a clumsy wrist, slide the pancake onto a plate, then tip the pan over the plate and turn it upside down. No one will ever know!


6) Once the pancake has cooked on both sides, serve with the gruyere, asparagus and pancetta.

Pancetta & egg tarts

Ingredients 1 slice bread, 1 egg, 1 tsp pancetta, butter

Serves: 1 preparation: 15 minutes


These tarts are so simple to make and so cute! For those of you with children, or for those occasions where you have lots of guests for breakfast they're a fun way of serving breakfast.


1) Rub a little butter onto a muffin tin and set aside.


2) Slice the crusts from the bread and discard, then flatten the bread with a rolling pin. Slice the bread in half and press one half into the muffin tin, then press the other half onto that layer and trim the top of the bread so that its level with the top of the tin, forming a case.


3) Sizzle the pancetta for a few seconds in a frying pan with a little butter and then add a teaspoon into each muffin tin.


4) Crack an egg over the top and then bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 180 degrees, or until the egg has formed. Serve hot.

Chai tea loaf, pancetta, pear & leek stuffing

Ingredients Chai tea loaf, 1 pear, 1/4 leek, 100g pancetta, 1 egg, butter.

For Christmas lunch this year, I thought I would sex up the turkey stuffing to mirror the spices I put in the brine bath. My Chai tea loaf is magnificently spicy but decadently sweet so I added savoury notes with the leek and pancetta and juiciness with the pear. Once it soaks up the turkey juices it is truly magnificent.


1) Crumble the tea loaf into rough breadcrumbs and set aside.


2) Peel and dice the pear and sautee in a little butter until soft.


3) Finely dice the leek and add it to the pear along with the pancetta.


4) Stir through the tea loaf crumbs and add a whisked egg. Pack it tightly into the turkey cavity and roast along with the bird.

Roast butternut squash & pancetta soup

Ingredients      1/2 pint ham stock, 100g pancetta, 1 large butternut squash, 1 small potato, truffle oil.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 1 hour


I love soup. I find all the chopping, stirring and pureeing very soothing, the warm smells that fill the house comforting, and I love ladling out steamy bowls of soup for people to dunk hot crispy bread into, dressing it with ever more creative croutons or swirls of cream and yoghurt. This winter I have created 10 new soups to warm you through on a cold day. This soup is velvet smooth, voluptuously thick and has a rich, savoury flavour.


1) Peel and the butternut squash, discard the seeds and cut into chunks. Drizzle with a little truffle oil and roast in the oven in a covered dish at 200 degrees for 20 minutes.


2) Strain the butternut squash (do not discard the juice) and pulse thoroughly in a blender. Add the pureed butternut squash and juice into the ham stock along with the pancetta and the peeled, diced potato then allow to simmer for a further 30 minutes.


3) Mash the potato into the soup with a potato masher and stir through. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then serve.

Maple glazed carrot, goats cheese & pancetta soup

Ingredients 6 carrots, 1 pint vegetable stock, 200g pancetta, maple syrup, olive oil, 100g goats cheese, 1 onion.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 1 hour

I love soup. I find all the chopping, stirring and pureeing very soothing, the warm smells that fill the house and I love ladling out steamy bowls of soup for people to dunk hot crispy bread into, dressing it with ever more creative croutons or swirls of cream and yoghurt. This winter I have created 10 new soups to warm you through on a cold day. This soup is sweet and tangy with a gloriously smooth texture.

1) Peel and finely dice the onion then allow to soften in a pan with a tablespoon of olive oil.

2) Peel and slice the carrots into fine chunks, discarding the tops and tails. Add into a roasting dish with a slosh of maple syrup, olive oil and a sprinkling of salt, ensuring that the carrots are all covered evenly.

3) Roast for 20 minutes at 200 degrees, stirring after 10 and then add to the onions along with the vegetable stock.

4) Allow to simmer for 10 minutes before straining the carrots and onions (do not discard the stock) and pureeing in a blender until completely smooth. Pass the vegetables through a seive and stir back into the stock.

5) Allow to simmer on the hob for a further 10 minutes, adding the pancetta and goats cheese for the last 5, seasoning to taste with freshly ground black pepper and salt.

I like to add half of the goats cheese (discarding the rind) and stir through the soup, then dress the soup with a good chunk of goats cheese before serving.

Fettuccini with poached egg yolk

Ingredients 8oz pasta flour, 1 tsp olive oil, 5 eggs, 1 lemon, 100g pancetta, 1 tbsp basil oil, 1 tbsp parmigiano.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 1 hour (+5 hours pasta preparation)

I adore pasta and thankfully love making it almost as much as I love to eat it - there's nothing quite like freshly made pasta, fresh from the pot. I also adore poached eggs, the creamy gold egg yolk flowing makes the most beautiful pasta sauce and recently I decided to do away with the faff of poaching a whole egg and just stick with the yolk!

1) Pour 8 ounces of grade 00 flour (pasta flour), 1 teaspoon of olive oil, a good pinch of salt, 3 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk into a bowl and kneed with your hands until you have a firm dough. Wrap this in cling film and chill in the fridge for 2-5 hours.
2) Dust a worktop with pasta flour and roll out the dough into a sheet 1/3 of a centimetre thick. Cut out squares of pasta with a knife and roll these through a pasta machine (or using a rolling pin if you don't have one) until you have a thin rectangle of pasta. Slice into 1cm wide strips.

3) Add a little basil oil into a frying pan and sizzle the pancetta for 2 minutes.

4) Drop the pasta into salted boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Once it rises to the top of the pan it's done! Strain and toss with freshly squeezed lemon juice, a glug of basil oil, the pancetta and some freshly grated parmeggian.

5) Separate an egg yolk from the white and drop it into a pan of boiling water for 45 seconds, then spoon it onto the fettuccini. Once you cut into it the yolk will mix with the pasta to form the most stunning sauce. I served this with poached chicken breast and steamed asparagus.

Brussel sprouts with pancetta

Ingredients      200g brussel sprouts, 100g pancetta, butter.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 10 minutes


Brussel sprouts came into season yesterday and I am determined to bring sexy back to these underrated teeny cabbages. Growing up most of us associate Christmas lunch with being forced to eat soggy, bitter sprouts but done well, sprouts can be an indulgent treat. A little butter to glaze them and the salty warmth of pancetta provides the perfect compliment to these beautiful fresh vegetables.


1) Brussel sprouts take 6 minutes to cook - drop them into a pan of salted, boiling water, checking first to discard any which smell bitter and peeling off any leaves which look old or scarred.


2) Whilst the sprouts are cooking, heat a teaspoon of butter in a pan and add in the pancetta cubes. Stir well and allow to sizzle for about 2 minutes.


3) Strain the sprouts and add into the pan of pancetta. Stir through until they are coated and serve.

Baked potato: pancetta, beans & cheese

Ingredients Baked beans, cheddar, pancetta, potato.

Serves: 1 Preparation: 45 minutes - 1 hour

Once you have made your perfect baked potato, you need to fill it! Baked beans and cheese are a gorgeous, classic baked potato filling but I've, as usual, given it a bit of a twist...

1) Pour your can of beans into a milk pan and add 130-150g pancetta. As you stir the beans on a medium heat for 2 minutes, the juices from the pancetta will thicken the sauce and provide a wonderful, salty rich flavour.

2) Layer the cheese and beans  onto the potato and serve!

Potato skins stuffed with leek & bacon

Ingredients Potato, leek, bacon, butter, cheddar

I make mashed potatoes in 3 different ways depending on the time I have, or the type of mash I'm making.
On the occasions where I bake the potatoes in the oven I cannot resist saving the skins to stuff them with scrummy things.

1) Cover the potatoes in foil and bake for 1 and a half hours.


2) Scoop the potato from the skins ensuring that you leave a thin layer of potato to give the shell some integrity. Set the potato aside to cool.


3) Slice and roughly dice the leek and sautee in a little butter for 2 minutes. Add pancetta, or thin strips of bacon and stir through the leeks for a further 2 minutes.

4) Spoon into the potato shells and top with grated cheddar. Bake for 10 minutes and serve.

Leek & pancetta croquettes

Ingredients Potato, leek, pancetta, butter, old bread, egg,

When making Leek & pancetta mash, I like to use the leftovers to make croquettes with. Here's how to make them from scratch though.


1) Peel your potatoes and cut them into chunks before boiling in boiling salted water for 20 minutes.


2) Finely slice the leek and sautee in butter for 10 minutes, adding the pancetta during the last 3 minutes.


3) Mash the potatoes and stir through the leek and pancetta.


4) Once the mash is cool, roll it into a sausage shape. Whisk an egg and set aside.


5) Pulse some old bread in a blender to make breadcrumbs. Dip the potato sausage into the whisked egg, roll in the breadcrumbs and then deep fry until golden brown.

Steak with stilton sauce, leek & pancetta mash

Ingredients    Steak, double cream, milk,  plain flour, butter, stilton, potato, pancetta, parmigiano, leek.

To make the leek & pancetta mash


1) Peel your potatoes and cut them into chunks before boiling in boiling salted water for 20 minutes.


2) Finely slice the leek and sautee in butter for 10 minutes, adding the pancetta during the last 3 minutes.


3) Mash the potatoes and stir through the leek and pancetta.


To make the stilton sauce


1) Melt some butter in a pan and whisk through flour to make a roux. 


2) Add a little milk and continue whisking until a thick sauce has formed. Stir through the stilton and serve on top of grilled steak


If you have any mash left over, why not try my leek & pancetta croquettes?

Pea, mint and pancetta risotto

Ingredients Risotto rice (arborio, carnaroli or vialone nano - I would recommend carnaroli), vegetable stock, brandy, garden peas, pancetta cubes, halloumi, onion, cream.

All risottos (no matter what the ingredients) can be made in 3 simple stages. The first is called tostatura - coating the rice in fat, the second involves cooking off some alcohol (white wine, brandy or vermouth produce the best flavours) and the second involves releasing the starch from the rice one ladle of stock at a time.

1) Finely dice half a white onion and add into a hot pan along with a generous glug of olive oil. Stir through and after 30 seconds add in 1 cup of risotto rice (this will serve one - add a half cup for each additional person).

2) Stir through until the olive oil has coated the rice evenly. When you see the grain of rice becoming clear, revealing a white dot in the centre add a shot of brandy or glass of white wine and stir through.

3) Add a ladle of vegetable stock and continue to stir the rice.

4) Add additional stock, ladle by lady as the stock cooks off. By the third ladle add a good handful of chopped mint and your peas. With the last ladle, add some cubed halloumi and the pancetta.

5) When the rice is soft (takes about 20 minutes) serve. A good risotto will be a little soupy rather than dry. It should be possible to form a mound of rice but when the dish is tapped it should sink down. if you wish add a dash of cream.