Parsnip and Pancetta Tagliatelle with Parmesan and Butter

I’d never thought of the parsnip and pancetta combination until about a year ago – slightly unusual, but what a great combo. It’s bloody good and I’ve used them together ever since in soups, risottos, roasts and casseroles.
Serves4
CostModerate
Total Timeunder 30 minutes
OccasionCasual Dinner Party
Recipe Coursemain course
Dietary Considerationegg-free, peanut free, soy free, tree nut free
Mealdinner
Taste and Texturebuttery, cheesy, creamy, garlicky, herby, rich, salty, umami
Type of Dishdry pasta, pasta
Ingredients
- 12 slices of pancetta or dry-cured smoked streaky bacon
- 1 handful of fresh rosemary, thyme or summer savory, leaves picked
- 4 good knobs of butter
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
- 2 parsnips, peeled, halved and finely sliced lengthways
- 455g/1lb dried tagliatelle
- 3 good handfuls of grated Parmesan cheese
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
-
In a large, non-stick frying pan fry your pancetta and herbs in half the butter for 2 minutes, then add the garlic and parsnips. Cook for a further 3 minutes on a medium heat, until the pancetta is slightly golden and the parsnips have softened nicely. Cook your tagliatelle in salted boiling water (check the packet for cooking time), then drain, reserving a little of the cooking water. Mix the pasta with the parsnips and pancetta and stir in the rest of your butter and the Parmesan, adding a little of the cooking water to loosen the mixture and make it creamy and shiny. Season to taste.
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