Pancetta is a pork product very popular in Italy. In some circles it’s called Italian bacon. Along with prosciutto, it’s very common in the Italian kitchen. It is made from pork meat that is salt cured and spiced with lots of black pepper. In a the supermarket or deli it comes in a tight roll  (arrotolata), or already cubed. It can even be found sliced paper thin.

If you can’t find pancetta, bacon can be substituted—but it won’t taste the same. Also, with bacon, it’s best to blanch it first in boiling water since it reduces its smoky flavor (pancetta is not a smoked product). That being said, the recipe given below can be done with almost any pasta but it’s usually served with spaghetti or linguini. Once in a while, if I’m feeling adventurous, I’ll use perciatelli, my favorite string pasta. Why? It’s thick, like a phone cable—and I love what my Uncle Phillip in pre-PC days would call a “manly pasta.”

One additional thing I must say, since we’re talking about pasta: remember in the old days when it came in one pound boxes? More and more it’s now 12 ounces. When did this crap start?  Ronzoni, bless their heart, still comes in one pound boxes. Barilla does not (it’s 13.25 ounces). Everyone else, these days, is 12 ounces. Pretty soon it’ll be 9 ounces, then 8 . . . you get the idea. Someday a family of four will have to buy two boxes of spaghetti or whatever to get fed. If you’re lucky enough to find a place that sells fresh pasta, you can still get it by the pound—and even if it’s more expensive, it’s a better deal. The corporate structure (no surprise!) is out to gyp us.

I pound tomatoes (preferably plum tomatoes)
10-8 ounces pancetta or lean bacon, sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced
1 pound fresh or dried spaghetti or linguini (if you can find a 1-pound box)
5 fresh marjoram sprigs, minced, or 1/4 teaspoon dried
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup fresh shredded basil
Freshly grated Pecorino or Romano cheese

1. Wash tomatoes under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Chop coarsely.
2. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add pancetta and stir-fry over low heat until fat is rendered.
3. Stir in onion and cook gently for 8  minutes. Add garlic and cook 2-3 minutes more.
4. Add tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, uncovered for about 10 minutes, stirring well. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package instructions.
5. Stir the marjoram into the sauce. Remove from heat. Drain the pasta into a serving bowl. Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss well. Sprinkle with shredded basil, and serve, passing around the Pecorino or Romano cheese.
   Yield: 4 servings. 

If you ever wanted to enhance a common, nondescript pasta dish, then add caviar to it. It will garner “oohs” and “aahs” at your table. Most people think of caviar as that fancy-dan appetizer served at diplomatic functions or the debutante cotillion. And it is true, caviar is considered a dish of the upper orders. Yest caviar is simply processed, salted, fish row eggs. The three leading grades or types are Beluga, Osetra, and Sevruga caviar. This is prime caviar that comes from wild sturgeon in the Caspian Sea. At the supermarket, most caviar sold these days is the pasteurized caviar which is less expensive than wild sturgeon; and is heat treated and vacuum packed in containers or glass jars.

Caviar, whether the prime or less expansive type is a great addition to pasta. And in this recipe I recommend any string pasta you favor, be it bucatini spaghetti, fettuccini, angel hair, etc. You can even do it with noodles, like fusilli. I use linguini. But, again, you’re not limited. Bear in mind, for this recipe you don’t need the high-priced product—unless you really want to splurge.

LINGUINI WITH CAVIAR

5 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, sliced into thin rings
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
2 2-ounce jars caviar
1 shot vodka
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup heavy cream (1/2 pint)
1 pound linguini
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh basil, washed, dried, and chopped

1. In a medium-sized frying pan or skillet, heat oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add onion and garlic. Sauté until soft but not brown.
2. Add caviar and mix for a few seconds. Pour in vodka and cook until it has evaporated almost completely.
3. Sprinkle with Worcestershire sauce and blend in cream. Remove from heat, mix and keep warm.
4. Boil linguini until al dente, or desired tenderness. Drain, leaving a little cooking water and blend in the tablespoon of olive oil.
5. Pour caviar sauce over the pasta and mix well. Sprinkle with fresh basil and serve immediately.
    Yield: 4 servings.

Kugel is a dish that was introduced to me by my close and dear friend, Paul Goldstein. When I was a young man, we were roommates and shared a place together in the upper Bronx. I had just returned from Vietnam and, admittedly, my interests were in good drink, chasing the ladies, and having fun. Paul, on the other hand, apart from his many talents, was a good cook. See, Paul is the archetypical Renaissance man: he is a sculptor, writer, artist—and a damn good carpenter to boot. One of our culinary mainstays during those days was kugel.

For those unfamiliar with it, kugel is a Jewish casserole that may be served as a side dish or a dessert. The word itself comes from the German. It means “ball” or “round.” The dish was given this name because of the small round pot in which it was cooked. As noted, it is of Eastern European Ashkenazi origin. It is normally eaten on the Jewish Sabbath, as well as other Jewish holidays.

Kugels began about 800 years ago; and they were made from bread and flour. Today the base ingredient for kugel may include potatoes, noodles, or matzo flour. There are fruit kugels, vegetable kugels, and even (I’m told) Rice Crispy kugel (no lie). So herein is Paul Goldstein’s kugel, which is based on his aunt’s original recipe (with modifications). Whip it up tonight (or whenever you wish), and have a great time. Note that the dish can be served hot or cold, by itself, or with apple sauce or sour cream. You can even try it with vanilla ice cream.

PAUL GODLSTEIN’S KUGEL

8 ounces egg noodles
2 eggs
2 golden delicious apples, peeled and cut into large pieces
1 pear, peeled and cut into large pieces
1/3 cup raisins
cinnamon (to taste—lots of it)
Margarine or butter

1. Cook egg noodles according to package directions, drain and put back into the pot or pan.
2. Add apples, raisins, eggs, and cinnamon.
3. Heavily apply either the margarine or butter to a large cast-iron frying pan, making sure the sides are well covered with the margarine. Pour noodle mixture into pan and press down with hand and fingers.
4. Cook on medium heat until bottom is either blackened or slightly burned. Turn the kugel over into a plate, grease the pan again and slip the kugel back into the pan. Cook until other side is done. Usually the pan is covered while the second side is cooking.
Yield: about 6 servings.