Sauces Based on Preserved Pork Products

Appears in

Sauces: Classical and Contemporary Sauce Making

Published 1991

About

Although the best-known pasta sauces are based on olive oil, butter, cream, or tomatoes, Italy has delicious ham (prosciutto, both raw cured—crudo—and cooked—cotto), savory unsmoked bacon (pancetta), and a version of lard (strutto) far superior to the soapy-tasting American version. Good-quality American bacon can be used in pasta sauces, but unless first blanched, it will give the sauce a pronounced smoky flavor that, although not authentic, is quite tasty.

Pork products such as pancetta or prosciutto are gently cooked so they render their delicious fat, which is then incorporated into the sauce. Pancetta is quite fatty and can be cut into cubes or strips and rendered in the same way as bacon. Prosciutto, on the other hand, is very lean, except for a layer of fat surrounding the meat just under the rind. This fat can be finely chopped or puréed to a paste in a food processor and then gently rendered and used as a cooking fat for sauces. It’s important that the fat from pancetta or prosciutto be exposed to only very gentle heat—as with extra-virgin olive oil—or it will lose flavor and finesse.