I LOVE PASTA and I'm not alone in this. I also always loved eating pesto but never really knew how to make it. While attending a part-time cooking school, I was assigned to the pesto! We actually started making it in a mortar and pestle, which was quite the workout. But ended up finishing it in a food processor. We then tossed with some spaghetti and topped with tons of grated Parmesan cheese. I’ve been waiting to make pesto until I somehow acquired a food processor, that’s not happening anytime soon and I got this idea to make pasta with pesto, pancetta and peas. I couldn’t get it out of my head, it just sounded so delightful. I then realized you could make pesto in a blender, actually my very bright roommate reminded me of this possibility. Pesto is really versatile with so many variations that you can do to make it your own. This is a traditional version with a pinch of red pepper flake added for a little kick. Let’s talk about pancetta, I am in love with all Italian cured meats right now. Pancetta is basically Italian bacon. It is cured with different spices but not smoked like American bacon. Peas just scream spring to me, although I did use frozen peas, much easier:) I hope you all enjoy!
—Chele Belle
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