# One For SmokinAl: 4 Cheese Garlic Alfredo W/Homemade Pancetta (Pics)



## tx smoker (Jun 21, 2019)

(Not sure exactly where this one should go so popping it in here and will let the mods work their magic as they see fit)

Well Al, this one is for you sir. You endured the torture of my Pancetta project for 6 months and in the interim made your Lonzino. When you posted it, there were a number of recommendations from folks on different ways to enjoy it. Here is another one.

Last week we had a polar vortex blow through and the temperature dropped to a bone-chilling 84 degrees. With frigid Arctic temps like that I decided a warm, comforting, and filling dinner was in order so I made my 4-cheese garlic Alfredo with homemade Pancetta and fresh baby spinach.

Started with a good dose of fresh minced garlic in EVOO. Typically I use 40 to 50 whole cloves of garlic cooked very low for a long time to caramelize. Didn't have the cloves or time this go-round though so had to drop back 10 and punt.







Saute until a light golden brown






Add the Pancetta and let render a bit






Build the sauce and add some oregano, basil, and cayenne






Let it cook down a bit






Add the spinach. Pan is kinda messy but it's the contents that counts :-)






Served over spinach and Parmesan tortellini with some garlic bread






This hit the mark. It was warm, creamy, rich, and filling. The Alfredo sauce is really easy to make...at least the way I do it is. All that's in it is heavy cream and however much of whatever cheese you want to use...and the spices of course. It may not be considered "traditional" but it works for us. For this one I used Parmesan, Romano, Mozzarella, and Provolone. The first two added great flavor and the last two added a smooth, creamy texture. Time to put on the fur parka and head out to the patio to enjoy our dinner.

Disclaimer: If you're lactose intolerant, I'd recommend staying away from this one 

Working off the calories,
Robert


----------



## SmokinAl (Jun 21, 2019)

WOW Robert!
You really hit it out of the park with that dish!
My pancetta is a long way from being done, but I will definitely bookmark this & give it a try!
It looks delicious!!
Al


----------



## pc farmer (Jun 21, 2019)

Great looking meal.


----------



## chopsaw (Jun 21, 2019)

That looks fantastic . My kind of meal . 


tx smoker said:


> The Alfredo sauce is really easy to make...


I agree and had no idea it was so easy until I tried it . I do it the same as you . 
Nice job , thanks for posting .


----------



## tx smoker (Jun 21, 2019)

_"WOW Robert!
You really hit it out of the park with that dish!
My pancetta is a long way from being done, but I will definitely bookmark this & give it a try!
It looks delicious!!"_

Appreciate the kind words Al but the whole point was that you could do this same dish with your Lonzino....or any other Italian meat for that matter :-)

Robert


----------



## Braz (Jun 21, 2019)

Just reading the thread title made me hungry. Nice dish for sure.


----------



## Misplaced Nebraskan (Jun 21, 2019)

That looks and sounds phenomenal Robert!  

also, glad y'all survived the polar vortex!  Looked touch and go for a bit


----------



## clifish (Jun 21, 2019)

Yeah that looks killer!  As a type 2 diabetic I would have to mod that recipe a bit, either sub out the pasta with riced cauliflower or use dreamfields brand low carb pasta. But either way I am sure I would love it.  Are you sure you don't come from Brooklyn, NY with that Italian cooking?


----------



## SmokinVOLfan (Jun 21, 2019)

Hit another one out of the park. Looks great! Nice cook Robert


----------



## ab canuck (Jun 21, 2019)

Yummmm Is what I say, Great looking meal LIKE!! Congrats on the carousel ride.


----------



## uncle eddie (Jun 21, 2019)

Yum! Me likes!


----------



## tx smoker (Jun 21, 2019)

_"That looks fantastic . My kind of meal."
_
We love this stuff but it is usually done as a cold weather dish. I just had a taste for it that evening and since we weren't in triple digit temps I thought I'd make it.
_
"I agree and had no idea it was so easy until I tried it . I do it the same as you . 
Nice job , thanks for posting."
_
More than welcome and very much appreciate the accolades. I made this the first time about 20 years ago on a whim one day using only the ingredients listed above and with absolutely no idea what I was doing. Well...it has turned into one of our staples it came out so well.

Robert


----------



## tx smoker (Jun 21, 2019)

_"Just reading the thread title made me hungry. Nice dish for sure."_

I hadn't thought about the title but I see your point. Typically I just try to highlight the meal I'm posting about but this one does conjure up some lurid thoughts of decadent food. Now I'm getting hungry....

Off to the fridge,
Robert


----------



## tx smoker (Jun 21, 2019)

_"That looks and sounds phenomenal Robert! 
also, glad y'all survived the polar vortex!  Looked touch and go for a bit "_

Thanks Zach!! It was bitter cold but we managed to survive. 

You aren't going to believe this but I just tore the Santa Maria grill apart again. Modifying the log lighters once more, hopefully for the last time. I've torn this thing apart and put it back together about 8 times now and have about had enough of it :-)

Back to the hardware store,
Robert


----------



## tx smoker (Jun 21, 2019)

_"Yeah that looks killer!  As a type 2 diabetic I would have to mod that recipe a bit, either sub out the pasta with riced cauliflower."
_
Now you have me thinking....shudder the thought. I bet this would be amazing served over grilled cauliflower steaks. We love doing grilled veggies and I may very well give this a try...

_"But either way I am sure I would love it.  Are you sure you don't come from Brooklyn, NY with that Italian cooking?"
_
I've never even been to Brooklyn, let alone being born there :-) I was born and raised in the Blue Ridge Mountain area of Virginia. For some reason though I've always had a knack for putting together tasty spice creations with Italian food, and have no idea where it came from. Of all the types of stuff I cook, I'd say that Italian is probably my strongest suit.

Country boy through and through,
Robert


----------



## tx smoker (Jun 21, 2019)

_"Hit another one out of the park. Looks great! Nice cook Robert"_

Thanks John!! This one has garnered far more attention that I ever thought it would.

Pleasantly surprised,
Robert


----------



## tx smoker (Jun 21, 2019)

_Yummmm Is what I say, Great looking meal LIKE!! Congrats on the carousel ride."_

Thank you!! Never in my wildest imagination did I think this would be on the carousel. It was so quick and easy to make but primarily I wanted to share it with Al as a thought for using his Lonzino. I will admit however, the way the pic is posted on the carousel, it does look appealing :-)

Awed and humbled once again,
Robert


----------



## 6GRILLZNTN (Jun 21, 2019)

Wow!  That looks incredible Robert.  Congrats on the carousel ride!  Hope there was no frostbite from the vortex.

Dave


----------



## chilerelleno (Jun 21, 2019)

I could demolish your sauce like it was chowder, just fill a mug and pass it here... Yes'sir!
Man, that does look like some superb comfort food for a chilly cold front.
*Like!*


----------



## tropics (Jun 22, 2019)

Just what I need another creamy cheesy pasta dish.That has to taste even better then it looks. Points 
Richie


----------



## drdon (Jun 22, 2019)

WOW...just plain WOW! That looks amazing. 

Note to self.....I've got to get into "Pancetta/Bacon" making.


----------



## tx smoker (Jun 22, 2019)

_"WOW...just plain WOW! That looks amazing"
_
Thank you for the nice words. Very much appreciated. It was actually one of the absolute easiest meals I've posted here.
_
Note to self.....I've got to get into "Pancetta/Bacon" making."_

Uh oh....looks like we have another convert in our midst  Both of those are very easy to make, as are a variety of other artisan cured and aged Italian meats. The bacon is pretty quick to make. The Pancetta however took a long time. Fair warning though...once you start making bacon, there is no turning back. You'll need to resign yourself to making it for the rest of your life. You'll never want to consider store bought bacon again. It is REALLY easy to make so do yourself a favor: when you decide to pull the trigger do two pork bellies, not just one. Only doing one, you'll be out of bacon before the next batch is ready. Things get ugly after that. You go through withdrawal, get uncontrollable shakes, drool down your shirt....assuming you can even remember how to put a shirt on. The stuff is that addictive!!

There are basically 2 ways to go about curing bacon: wet cure and dry cure. @pops6927 has a wet cure method that is apparently very good. I've never used it but a whole lot of folks rave about it. My preference is a dry cure posted by @disco. I absolutely love it and that's what I've gotten several of my friends doing when I helped them get started. Another one from Disco you may want to look at is his Back Bacon. We 'Mericans call it Canadian Bacon and his recipe is simply amazing. A couple you may want to look at also from @Bearcarver are his buckboard Bacon and dried beef. I keep ALL of the aforementioned items on hand at all times and they have become staples around here.

Baiting the hook,
Robert


----------



## bdskelly (Jun 23, 2019)

I just gained five pounds reading this. Robert that is over the top! B


----------



## ksblazer (Jun 27, 2019)

Drool

I think I could it that on a weekly basis.

Alfredo sauce is my favorite. I thought I made a decent Alfredo sauce. But I think that sauce beats mine up.


----------



## nanuk (Jun 28, 2019)

I too was drooling reading this

*LIKE*


----------

