Fat Italian Bacon

You can find pancetta at most supermarket deli counters for a pretty $10-$12 a pound, depending on the brand. It's a key ingredient to many Roman pasta dishes, lending a tangy bite of bacon that leaves you thirsty for more and more wine. I threw together a pretty succulent tortellini dish last week in which the bacony bits worked as a decent contrast to the oh-so-slightly bitter (and, you know, healthy) baby spinach.

Tortellini with pancetta and spinach:

• 1/4 lb pancetta (ask the deli-counter guy to cut in 1/4 inch-thick slices, and then when you get home, dice this up carefully. Pancetta is very slippery because of the fat content, so cut it slowly and carefully.)
• about 4 handfuls baby spinach
• 1 package cheese tortellini (I like Bertolli's whole-wheat.)
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• olive oil
• pepper (you will NOT need salt - trust me ;)
  
• grated parmesan

To do:

• Put a pot of water on to boil, and add the tortellini when boiling. Prep a shallow saucepan by heating it up with a splash of olive oil.
  
• Once it's up to medium heat, add the garlic and diced pancetta, moving it around the pan with a wooden spoon, so that it cooks evenly. Keep it on medium/low heat as the pasta cooks.
  
• Drain the pasta when finished. Add it to the saucepan with the pancetta, lightly mixing it together. Add a little more olive oil.
• Set the heat to low. Add the baby spinach one handful at at time, letting each handful wilt before adding a fresh batch. Make sure to mix this up well.
• Add a bit of pepper, plate, and sprinkle well with parmesan.
  

TOTALLY BUONO!