Chicken & Prosciutto Borsetti with Bacon and Peas

     

     

The more I learn about Italian food, the more I learn about the subtleties of cooking, the little things that added together build up to make a dish go from good to excellent. I learned this same lesson racing sailboats on the Chesapeake Bay. A fast sailboat isn’t fast at the beginning, or doesn’t jump ahead at the end, but is incrementally just a little faster so that by the end of the race it has achieved a dominant lead. For Italian food, I think of fresh ingredients, of course vital for any dish. I also think of how less can be more, like less sauce in a pasta dish then you might think. But also proper ingredients, such as pairing the shape and texture of the pasta with the consistency of the sauce, and ensuring that all of the pasta is tossed and individually coated in the sauce. Perhaps in the less is more category are sauces not based on tomatoes. Italians many times will coat their pasta in nothing more than oil and cheese, or perhaps butter and an herb, such as sage. Chicken stock can also be a sauce, though for me it needs help to give me the interest I need in a dish. This recipe pairs a tortellini type pasta (borsetti is my favorite) in a chicken stock-based sauce with bacon and peas. I actually am not a big fan of peas, but I always put them in this dish for their visual color and because I think I should. My favorite part though is the bacon, and any sauce started with bacon will be good with me. This recipe is quick, easy, colorful and hearty. I suggest you give it a try for a quick mid-week meal.

    

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken and prosciuto borsetti, or other desired tortellini
4 slices of bacon, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
  
Directions:
In a medium pot, boil water and cook pasta. Meanwhile in a skillet over medium-low heat, cook bacon, rendering fat and ensuring bacon is nearly fully cooked. Pour off all but a tbsp of bacon fat and add onion, cooking a few minutes to soften. Add chicken stock and scrape bacon bits from the bottom of a pan. Simmer a few minutes and then add peas, cooking a few minutes more. When the pasta is cooked but still firm, transfer pasta with a slotted spoon to the skillet with the sauce. Turn off heat. Stir into sauce 3 tbsp of grated Parmesan. Serve by spooning pasta and sauce into bowls. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan over bowls.