Thursday, August 11, 2011

Fettuccine with Figs, Rosemary, and Pancetta

In searching for a way to use figs for dinner, I ran across this recipe. It's different, but surprisingly tasty. Best of all, it comes together quickly (I seem to be saying that a lot lately!). I skipped on the toasted breadcrumbs, but otherwise stuck more or less to the recipe ... perhaps using less figs than I should've, but I scaled down and then didn't weight. I also substituted vermouth for the white wine because that's what I had on hand.

One year ago: Spinach Soup with Red Lentils

Fettuccine with Figs, Rosemary, and Pancetta (adapted from epicurious, originally Gourmet)


Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
160g sliced pancetta
1 small red onion, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary, or to taste
1/4 cup dry white wine (I used vermouth)
1/2 cup chicken broth
325g firm-ripe fresh figs, trimmed and quartered lengthwise
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
325g dried egg fettuccine

1. Heat oil in cleaned skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook pancetta, stirring, until golden brown and crisp. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.
2. Add onion to skillet and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 4 minutes. [My souschef may have been a bit too good at finely chopping, so I added everything at once!] Add garlic and rosemary and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
3. Stir in wine and boil, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced to about 1 tablespoon. [I may have accidentally added the broth here to no ill effect.]
4. Remove from heat and stir in broth, figs, parsley, half of pancetta [or all to simplify!], and lemon juice.
5. Cook fettuccine in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain pasta in a colander.
6. Add fettuccine to fig mixture with 1/4 cup reserved cooking water and salt and pepper to taste.
7. Heat over low heat, tossing gently and adding more cooking water if mixture becomes dry, until just heated through.

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