Dish with broad appeal
Enjoy pasta with a delicious mix of beans, pancetta and pesto
IMADE this pasta because the broad beans at the markets were so inviting that I just had to pick up a handful. Quick, easy and absolutely delicious, this will be a party favourite and a perfect addition to your pasta repertoire.
Pancetta is cured pork belly and an Italian staple. It is easy to find in most supermarkets, although you can use ham or bacon if you can’t find any. It is important when cooking pasta that the water is salty like the sea so about a good tablespoon of salt per litre of water.
Pasta with pancetta, and broad bean pistachio and rosemary pesto
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS: ◗ 500g whole broad beans, peeled to yield about 400g of shelled beans ◗ 1 tsp of chopped rosemary (fresh) ◗ 50g of pistachio nuts (shelled) ◗ 50g of butter ◗ 1 tbs of olive oil ◗ 100g of pancetta, thinly sliced ◗ 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped ◗ Zest of 1 lemon ◗ 500g of linguini or similar pasta ◗ Salt and pepper ◗ Shaved parmesan to serve METHOD: Boil the broad beans in a small amount of boiling water for 2-3 minutes and rinse in cold water. Peel, discarding the skins and keeping the beans aside.
Place the beans into a food processor with the rosemary and the pistachio nuts and pulse until combined.
Bring a large pot of salty water to the boil and cook the pasta as directed on the packet.
While the pasta is cooking, heat the butter and the oil over a moderate temperature in a heavy-based pan large enough to eventually fit the pasta.
Tear the pancetta into shreds and fry this in the butter and oil until golden. Don’t freak out over the amount of butter or oil as this will form the sauce.
Cook the pancetta for 4-5 minutes until it starts to brown. Turn off the heat and add in the garlic, a generous amount of cracked black pepper and the lemon zest.
When the pasta is cooked, drain the pasta, reserving about two cups of the pasta water. Add the pasta directly into the pan with the pancetta, add in about 1⁄3 cup of pasta water and stir. Add into the broad bean mix another ¼-1⁄3 cup of pasta water and stir it to loosen the mix. Toss this through the pasta and then serve the whole lot scattered with shaved or grated parmesan cheese.