What to make with Pancetta & Peas

Why they work together

Pancetta's cured, salty fat gives sweet, grassy peas a savory backbone they don't have on their own, and rendering it first means the peas cook in real flavor instead of plain oil or butter. The small dice of pancetta also adds a chewy-crisp contrast to the soft pop of each pea.

How to combine them

Render diced pancetta slowly over medium-low heat until it's crisp and the fat has fully released, then add peas directly into that fat for the last few minutes of cooking so they warm through without turning gray. For soups or risottos, stir the peas in near the very end so they keep their color and bite.

Classic dishes featuring both

Italian

Risi e bisi — A Venetian rice-and-pea soup-risotto built on a base of pancetta or lardo rendered with onion.
Pea and pancetta risotto — Classic risotto where crisped pancetta seasons the rice and peas are stirred in near the end.
Pasta e piselli con pancetta — A simple pasta dish tossing peas and crisped pancetta in their own rendered fat with a little pasta water.

French

Pea and pancetta quiche — A savory custard tart with peas scattered through and pancetta providing a salty, crisp contrast.

British & Irish

Pea, pancetta and mint salad — A spring salad of blanched peas and crisp pancetta bits dressed lightly to let both ingredients stand out.

Take it further

Pancetta-fat confit peas — After the pancetta crisps, let the peas cook low and slow fully submerged in that fat rather than a quick toss, so they turn silky and deeply savory all the way through instead of just warmed on the surface.
Pancetta pea hand pie — Wrap peas and crisped pancetta in buttery pastry and bake into a hand-held turnover -- a packed-lunch version of the usual pasta or risotto treatment.
Braised peas with pancetta — Cook peas low and slow in a little stock and the pancetta's rendered fat until they turn soft and glossy, a stewed format instead of a quick toss or a cold salad.
Pancetta pea fritters — Bind peas and crisped pancetta with egg and a little flour, then pan-fry into small crisp cakes -- a textural flip from the soft, spoonable risotto and soup versions above.
Whipped pancetta pea dip — Blend cooked peas with crisped pancetta and a little cream until smooth, serving it as a spread for toast or crackers instead of a hot side or main.

Common additions

Onion — Softened in the pancetta fat before the peas go in, as in classic risi e bisi.
Parmesan Cheese — Stirred in at the end of a risotto or pasta for richness that rounds out the salty pancetta.
Lemon — A squeeze of juice at the end brightens the richness of the rendered pancetta fat.