Pea Pancetta Pasta

Heat a medium to large sized pot of salted water on stove over high to bring to a boil. This can take up to 10 minutes.

After about 4-5 minutes, add butter to a skillet and heat over medium. Once mostly melted, add panko bread crumbs and garlic and onion powder. Mix in butter then spread out in an even layer to toast 30-60 seconds, then mix to continue to toast for another 30-60 seconds until bread crumbs begin to brown. Remove bread crumbs from pan and set aside.

In the same pan, add pancetta to fry for about 6 minutes. By now your pasta water should be boiling, add the orecchiette pasta to water and set timer for 1 minute less than the cooking time on box / container instructs (most of the time orecchiette pasta takes about 9-12 minutes, 9 being the most al dente, so we find 10 minutes the right amount of cooking time so we boil it for 9 minutes).

Add fresh garlic and cook with pancetta for another minute or two until pancetta is fully cooked (browned and crisped). Stir often to prevent garlic from burning.

Once pancetta is done, spoon out a majority of the grease, but leave about a tablespoon left.

Add peas and give a quick mix with the pancetta (and grease) then add the chicken stock and ladle out a 1/2 cup of pasta water from your pasta (that should be just about done by now), and add to the skillet. Add parsley, oregano, basil, and salt to skillet.

Drain pasta (don't rinse!).

Turn up heat to medium high and bring everything in the skillet to a gentle boil, then add pasta to the skillet and mix. Let the pasta finish cooking in the skillet for another 1 minute. Test for doneness.

Once pasta is done, turn heat down to medium low and add Parmesan cheese. Mix well.

Add 1/2 of the panko breadcrumbs and mix. Serve and add the remaining bread crumbs to the plates. Enjoy!