Peas and pancetta- Piselli e pancetta

It's almost embarrassing to call this a recipe, it's that simple. But, it is a recipe none the less, so I feel that I need to jot it down. I am finding that this blog to me lately is becoming a memoirs from my kitchen. I don't know who I am passing these recipes onto, but they are here. That to me somehow provides me with comfort. Speaking of comfort, these pea's are the perfect accompaniment. They are always one of the staple side dishes whenever I cook for special occasions. They are always comforting to have on the table, as to me they represent tradition, they will always be there. Countless times I have cooked these for the people I love. My girlfriend Marybeth in particular is a mad lover of this recipe. So piccola, here is the recipe!

I also like food combinations that start with the same letter, this time both in English and Italian.

What you need:

About 350g of pancetta (you can substitute for bacon)

500g of peas (Yes, frozen is fine. The only time I will use frozen).

Two cloves of garlic 

A good drizzle of olive oil

A sprinkle of chilli flakes

Salt

fresh peas but frozen is totally ok

How to make:

1: Semi defrost peas

2: Cut the pancetta into small cubes, removing the skin and any access fat, but the fat is good as it will crisp up.

3: Add the pancetta cubes to a hot pan and cook until really crispy.  No oil is necessary. If you think they are crispy, just continue cooking as long a they don't burn. Remove from pan and drain access oil. Set aside.

4: Smash garlic cloves and add to a frypan with a generous amount of olive oil. Slightly warm oil and infuse it with the flavour of garlic.

5: Add the peas to the pan, and make sure each pea is coated in oil.

6: Add a tablespoon of water which will help with the cooking process.

7: Add chilli flakes, pancetta and season well with salt.

8: Cook until the peas are cooked though and flavoured well, this should not take any longer than 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Slow cooked roast lamb- L'angello arrosto

Ah roast lamb, but not just any ole roast lamb. It's show stopping nine hour slow roasted fall off the bone roast lamb. In fact the best roast lamb ever, but minimal fuss required. Truthfully I am not typically the one to cook Easter lunch, as I have always been invited to friend's houses over the last several years whilst living in Italy, where lamb has always played a starring role. Probably one of my most notable memories was a family who had a dedicated room for frying, and lamb cutlets were no exception. Last year was my first year back here in Melbourne, and I cooked this beauty. That's how slow I am with my blog posts these days. However, as Easter 2019 is broaching, I thought I should share my fool proof recipe for you.

The tradition of eating lamb at Easter dates before the birth of Christianity.  To discus the history of religion and it's connection to lamb I would have to start another blog. However Christian's refer to Jesus as the "Lamb of God", so it is not surprising that lamb plays an important part as part of Easter celebrations. On a less symbolic note, in Europe centuries ago, lamb would have been one of the only fresh meats available after a cold and long winter.

The best thing about this recipe is that you literally place everything in the pan and pretty much leave it in the oven, allowing the wine and lamb to get acquainted. I guarantee that the bone literally falls out, and no carving is required. Allowing you to concentrate on more important things on Easter Day, family. Buona Pasqua xxx 

What you need:

One large leg of lamb, about 3 kilo's (mine was 3.6 kilo's)

Four onions, peeled and quartered

One garlic bulb, whole bulb sliced in half

Four carrots, peel and cut in half lengthways 

400ml white wine

200ml beef stock (homemade)

Handful of rosemary sprigs 

Extra vigin olive oil

Salt and pepper

What to do:

Remember that this recipe takes about 7-9 HOURS to cook (depending on the size of the lamb).

1: Preheat oven to 120 degrees C.

2: Place a large baking pan on the stove top and heat. Brown all sides of the lamb in the pan using a little olive oil. If you do not brown the lamb at this stage, the meat will remain a pale colour.

3: Once browned, add ALL of the ingredients to the large pan with the lamb, placing the ingredients evenly around the lamb. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

4: Tightly cover the pan with aluminium foil (or even better if your pan has a tight sealed lid).

5: Place in the oven and cook for about 7-9 hours depending on the size of your lamb. The lamb needs to be turned only twice during the cooking process, make sure when you turn the lamb that you cover it in it's own juices, recover and return to the oven until it literally falls of the bone.

6: The lamb is ready when the bone can literally removed with thongs, it really does just fall out.

7: Serve immediately with your favourite side dishes. It is nice to serve the lamb on a large plater with the vegetable pieces soaked in the  juices and presented with some fresh sprigs of rosemary. Drizzle over some of the remains pan juices. Enjoy

#pasqua #lamb #angello #arrosto #buonadomenica