Pancetta
Since my wife passed away 2years ago I have been quite active in my kitchen. I like to cook but I’m not a professional. I saw your recipe for chicken thighs and it looked good until I came upon the item pancetta. Looked in the dictionary to no avail.What and where can I get pancetta?
— P.E.P., Denver
Pancetta is a kissing cousin to bacon: Cured pork belly. The difference? Bacon is smoked, pancetta is not. You can find it at any butcher shop. Ask for a chunk of pancetta, about a quarter- or half-pound, which you will dice yourself. It is also wonderful in soups and pastas.
You can substitute bacon. It will give the dish a smokier flavor but it will still be good.
In vermouth news …
Eric Felten of The Wall Street Journal reports that venerable French vermouth maker Noilly Prat is changing its formula. Or rather, returning to its original formula, a floral, yellow-tinged distillation much sweeter than the current dry-style vermouth produced by Noilly. Also on tap: A new bottle. Felten reports that as a sipper, the new-old Noilly is pleasant enough, but that it fails as a martini ingredient. Purists, stock up.
Tucker Shaw
