If you're ever in Santa Monica, California, go to The Market at the Santa Monica Place. They call it a "market" but really it's just the fanciest food court you've ever seen - with fresh, artisan products, unique beers on tap, cafes, baked goods, A COOKING SCHOOL and this:
That is pancetta, sold to me by an Italian man with a thick accent who told me this particular cut was from the cheek of the pig. Ok. He could have told me it was from the toenail, and I would have bought it. I was too entranced by everything around me. Not bad, Santa Monica, not bad. Let's see how you compare to Eataly in New York, which I'll be visiting in just a few days...
Back to the pancetta. I had no clue what to do with it, but I bought it anyway. And I went home, and I started browning it. Hmm, what next...
I found an acorn squash. I cut it in half, scooped out the seeds, cut it into quarters and roasted it at 450 for 30 minutes, flipping it once...
I started sauteing some shiitake mushrooms (why 2 i's?) in the pancetta fat (of course I added butter) and sprinkled them with sage...
And then I made some Harvest Grains (but you could use any type of rice or pasta), mixed everything together and sprinkled it with Parmesan cheese.
Did I forget to mention the roasted garlic? Everything in my fridge went into this dish. One of those 'leaving town for a week' meals.
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