Pancetta

This recipe was shared with Epicurious by Chef Joseph W. DiPerri of The Culinary Institute of America.

In the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, lasagne bolognese is usually made with a besciamella sauce. Italian-American cooks often replace that time-consuming step with ricotta. In this wickedly good interpretation, food editor Melissa Roberts combines the two traditions by whisking milk into some of the ricotta, creating a billowy pseudo-besciamella (the remaining ricotta mixture is stirred together with spinach). We rarely call for specific brands, but we did find that widely available Barilla no-boil dried noodles produced an exemplary lasagne. An egg pasta, this one comes very close to the flavor and delicacy of homemade.

Chicken cacciatore is a ubiquitous dish in Italian-American restaurants, but we think it is even more delicious when made with veal shoulder roast. Slowly braising the meat in a heady tomato sauce enriched with pancetta, olives, and porcini produces a dish so good, you'll find yourself sneaking nibbles all the way to the table. It's even better the next day—if you can contain yourself.

Patience is the key to this soul-satisfying soup chock-full of winter greens. Its depth of flavor comes from cooking the soffritto—a mixture of pancetta, onion, celery, carrots, and the ribs from the chard—for a good 45 minutes and from browning the tomato paste. The result is so savory that there's no need for broth; water, canned tomatoes, and a parmesan rind work beautifully. And because this soup must cook slowly, don't worry about prepping all your vegetables before you begin—you can simply chop as you go.

Oltranti and his family prepare this dish with rabbit, but it's equally appealing with chicken. Roasted with super-savory pancetta and olives, the garlicky meat stays moist in a shallow bath of white wine.

This bottomless bowl of meat sauce is the stuff of dreams—the American Dream, in particular. In Italy, ragù would have been flavored with a small piece of pork, but because meat was so readily available in the United States, immigrants included beef braciole, meatballs, sweet and hot sausage, and pork shoulder and ribs. This dish requires hours on the stovetop to make the meat tender and juicy and the sauce thick and intense, but it's well worth waiting for.

These come out extra-crispy when you use a pizza stone. If you don’t have one, a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet works well; invert it so that you can remove the pizza easily.

The richness of the lamb is balanced by the sweet-tart lemon sauce. To make things easier, ask the butcher to trim the lamb for you.

We gave the old liver-and-onions routine a contemporary twist with mild scallions and crisp pancetta. Sherry-butter sauce adds finesse and roundness of flavor.

Thinly sliced pancetta goes a little crisp, its salty porkiness complementing the asparagus. Though the spears are wrapped, they cook through perfectly and even pick up some grill flavor.

Thick slices of pancetta are cubed and fried for the tastiest croutons ever.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are adapted from Elizabeth Karmel's Web site, girlsatthegrill.com . I use this technique to grill one of my signature dishes, pancetta-wrapped trout. I stuff the fish with fresh tarragon, wrap it mummy-style in pancetta (uncured Italian bacon) and serve it with a simple mesclun salad for a winning meal off the grill.

Topping the chicken with pancetta slices before roasting adds a rich flavor.

Almost a risotto and not quite a soup, risi e bisi was once reserved for occasions. Thanks to food processors, high-quality frozen peas, and our super-fast stir-it-once method, you needn't wait for a special day.

As you may know, orecchiette is Italian for "little ears." Their size and rounded shape are just right for holding chunky toppings—pancetta, pine nuts, and broccoli fit that bill nicely. Grating Parmigiano-Reggiano over the entire dish is always a good idea.

Crunchy, salty, and fried. Who knew turnips could taste this good? These can be fun appetizers or the perfect side for sesame-oil-seared black cod with a rice-vinegar soy glaze.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Rick Tramonto's book Fantastico!

Panzanella is an Italian bread and tomato salad served in the summer and made with leftover crusty country loaves. In this winter version, tomatoes are replaced by brussels sprouts and apples, and the fruit-filled bread known as panettone stands in for the country loaves.