TravelTalkOnline Forums People Talk Recipes Substitute for pancetta..

I have a recipe for a pancetta and onion quiche that I thought I would make for brunch tomorrow. Unfortunately, my regular grocery store does not carry pancetta. I've never had it before, so not sure how different it is from bacon? I don't want to make another trip out to another grocery store to try to find out, so can I do a direct substitution of bacon? (I would assume that would be closer than ham, as I have ham also...) If I substitute bacon, should I make any other adjustments in the recipe?

Carol, The difference between bacon abd pancetta is that pancetta is salt cured and bacon is smoked. I usually use bacon when it calls for pancetta (and most chefs agree that its okay) as my taste buds find that pancetta is somewhat bland tasting. I would use the bacon the recipe calls for without any other adjustments. What would life be without bacon!! P.S. I would drain all the fat off after I fried it.

OK, thanks much!!

Carol,
I don't agree with the other poster.
My local Publix has pancetta in the deli case.
Just ask for a slab, about a 1/2 inch thick and dice it up.
Tastes different. Not as salty as american bacon and not smoked of course.
Try it. You will love it. Just ask Publix deli case.
Email me for more recipes. I love Pasta with Pancetta and peas. Great!
Cheers
irina

I would try to find pancetta, but I also understand not wanting to make another trip to the store!
The only adjustment i would make is to cut back on any additional salt. As pancetta is not as salty as bacon, the original recipe might call for extra salt.

Irina--I'm sure they would have had it at Publix, but I didn't want to make another trip! The quiche is in the oven now. We'll see how it turns out!

The original recipe did not call for any salt or pepper, so I didn't add any. I think maybe I should have at least added pepper? We'll see..

I can almost smell it. Going to share the recipe????

Started a new thread, just now!

Prosciutto is a better substitute than bacon for pancetta.

Hope your quiche came out well.

It's in another thread, above.

Another suggestion--briefly blanching bacon in boiling water will remove some (but not all) of the smokey flavor, bringing it closer to the flavor of pancetta. Blanching also reduces the saltiness of the bacon.

Carol,
in a pinch, you can also use Prosuttio to substitute for panchetta... granted, it's different, but still salt cured as opposed to smoke cured...
but, blanched bacon will also work well...

OK, I may try that next time I do that quiche.