Snap Pea Salad with Pancetta

The 1956 edition of Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book introduces the salad chapter with this encouraging suggestion: “A different salad everyday makes your meals healthful and gay!”  We’ve come a long way baby…The only greenery in most of these  was a lettuce leaf cup to hold the hearty fillings. Two of my favorites…the 24 Hour Salad, for which you toss together (with a fruit dressing) canned cherries, canned pineapple, orange sections, and cut up marshmellows; then stuff into lettuce cups and garnish with maraschino cherries and more orange slices (what’s for dessert?) Another that caught my eye was the Mock Chicken Salad, which you make with cubes of cooked veal when “Chicken is high and veal not so expensive” (???) Not lately…

This is the salad I’ve been making repeatedly this summer. It came from the justifiably famous Union Square Cafe in New York City. Ina Garten, my favorite cookbook author, published this recipe in her latest book. I doubt she would mind my using it, if she knew how much money I have spent buying her entire library of cookbooks for myself and my friends…

Snap Pea Salad with Pancetta

Kosher salt

1 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed

1/4 pound pancetta, sliced

1/2 cup good olive oil

2 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 Tbs. Champagne or white wine vinegar

1/4 cup minced red onion

5 Tbs. freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese (I used Parmigiano-Reggiano)

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Bring 2 to 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot, and add 1 Tbs. of salt. Fill a large bowl with ice water and have a sieve or colander ready in the sink. Put the snap peas into the boiling water for only 15 seconds or so, drain, and put immediately into the ice water. Cool completely and drain. Cut each snap pea in half lengthwise (I left some of the smallest ones whole) and place in a large bowl.

Meanwhile, place the pancetta and 1 Tbs. of water in a medium saute pan and cook over medium heat until the pancetta is browned and crisp, tossing occasionally to brown evenly.  The water will evaporate and the pancetta will render some of its fat.  Transer to a plate lined with paper towels to cool.

To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, and vinegar. Pour enough vinaigrette on the snap peas to moisten. Add the red onion, crumbled pancetta, cheese, 1 tsp. salt and the pepper. Toss well, season to taste and serve. (If not serving right away, wait to add the pancetta, as you want it to remain cruchy). Serves 4 or 5.

The remarkable thing about this dish is that the crunchy fresh peas combined with the pancetta and cheese gives a depth and richness to what seems like a healthy salad. Everyone who eats this loves it!