> wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 07 Oct 2003 14:00:32 -0400, Bob Pastorio >
> wrote:
>
> >alzelt wrote:
> >
> >>
> >>
> >> Vince Poroke wrote:
> >>
> >>> "Dimitri" > wrote in message
> >>> . com>...
> >>>
> >>>> "Ferrante" > wrote in message
> >>>> news > >>>>
> >>>>> I'm almost afraid to ask this, but has anyone substituted bacon bits
> >>>>> in place of frying bacon when making Spaghetti Carbonara?
> >>>>>
> >>>>> If so, how did it taste?
> >>>>> Mark Anthony Ferrante
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> Just to be clear the original recipe has the following:
> >>>>
> >>>> Pancetta not bacon
> >>>> cooked spaghetti
> >>>> eggs
> >>>> cheese
> >>>> Pasta water.
> >>>>
> >>>> Because the pancetta is cured and not smoked the dish has a very
> >>>> particular
> >>>> flavor.
> >>>>
> >>>> [pan-CHEH-tuh]
> >>>> An Italian bacon that is cured with salt and spices but not smoked.
> >>>> Flavorful, slightly salty pancetta comes in a sausagelike roll. It's
> >>>> used in
> >>>> Italian cooking to flavor sauces, pasta dishes, FORCEMEATS,
> >>>> vegetables and
> >>>> meats. Pancetta can be tightly wrapped and refrigerated for up to 3
> >>>> weeks,
> >>>> or frozen up to 6 months.
> >>>>
> >>>> IMHO substituting bacon is not recommendable even if it be artificial
> >>>> bacon.
> >>>>
> >>>> Dimitri
> >>>
> >>> Mario Batali, whom is very well respected for his knowledge and
> >>> appreciation of traditional Italian cuisine, once said on his show
> >>> that bacon is a fine substitute for panchetta and he went on to say
> >>> that the curing of bacon in America is superior to that of Italy. We
> >>> shouldn't be so enamored with the ingredients when it is the process
> >>> not the ingredients that is important in any cooking.
> >>
> >> But, Dimitri was not speaking of curing. He was mentioning that
pancetta
> >> is NOT smoked, as is much of U.S. bacon. It does make a difference.
> >
> >Exactly. There's one small technique that can get American bacon
> >somewhat closer to Pancetta. Blanch it. Drop the bacon into boiling
> >water and let it go for a couple minutes. It'll draw out a good bit of
> >the salt and appreciably diminish the smoke flavor. Still be a good
> >amount of tasty fat for the dish.
> >
> >I have to disagree with the statement that "...it is the process not
> >the ingredients that is important in any cooking." Both process and
> >ingredients are determinants of finished quality.
> >
> I would say that it is 60% process and 40% ingredients, barring
> ingredients like bird shit, for example.
> You could take the greatest hunk of meat ever and easily ruin it. On
> the other hand, a skilled chef can take freakin' insects and make them
> taste good. (That is, if the person ate the insect before knowing what
> it was.)
>
> candeh

Yes, but only if they were fresh, high quality, free-range, organic insects.


--
Peter Aitken

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