Step 1

Place peas in a strainer and rinse under luke warm water-just to remove the ice crystles. Drain and set aside. Chop pancetta into fairly small dice and cook over medium-low heat. This renders most of the fat while browning and crisping the pancetta. Add onion and garlic to the pancetta and saute.

Step 2

Drain most of the fat from this mixture. Cook pasta according to package directions. When pasta is cooked, drain it and add it to the onion/pancetta mix. Add the peas, salt and pepper to taste. Toss throughly and serve with grated cheese.

Step 3

Notes: I prefer a shaped pasta, like a rotelli for this dish. I find that very little additional salt is needed, but a good grinding of fresh black pepper is excellent. This dish was originally made with prociutto and peas, but one night only pancetta was at hand. The rest, as they say, is history.