Fettuccine with Smoked Pork Jowl and Roasted Tomatoes
Created by Executive Chef Antonio Cerullo of Choices Market
Ingredients
- 1 (approx. 2lbs) Smoked Pork Jowl rind removed and sliced like thick bacon
- 8 roma tomatoes cut in half lengthwise, cores removed
- 1 (approx. 1 cup) leek white part cut in quarters lengthwise, then sliced, washed and dried
- ½ cup rendered fat from pork jowl
- 1 + 5 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp organic lemon rind grated
- 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary chopped
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper or more if desired
- 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 cup feta cheese crumbled
- 350 g dry egg fettuccine or equivalent of fresh
Instructions
- In a heavy bottomed saucepan, cook sliced jowl on medium heat. Gently move slices around so the fat will render and jowl will become golden and crisp. Remove jowl and carefully pour all rendered fat in a heat resistant measuring cup.
- Pre-heat oven 450⁰F.
- Toss cut tomatoes with 1 Tbsp olive oil and ½ tsp sea salt. Place on a baking sheet, skin down.
- Once oven is hot, turn broiler on and place tomatoes in heated oven under broiler for 10 minutes (careful not to burn) After 10 minutes, turn oven back to bake at 450⁰F for approximately 45 minutes, depending on oven and tomatoes.
- Return half a cup of the fat back to the pan on medium heat and add leeks. When leeks start to turn golden, add roasted tomatoes, lemon rind, fresh rosemary and lemon juice.
- Cook fettuccine in salted water. Just before pasta is cooked, return jowl into the sauce pan. When pasta is ready, strain and place in a large bowl. Add remaining olive oil, the sauce, pepper and half of the crumbled feta. Toss and plate immediately garnishing each plate with remaining feta cheese.
- If desired, pork rind can be julienned and baked or fried to a crisp and used as a garnish on finished pasta.
- Note: Remaining fat can be used to cook delicious potatoes and stewed veggies.
