"pancetta" news and stories

Wednesday is the Fourth of July, and we continue to bring you some recipes that you might want to try if you're having a cookout or party that day. AOL Food has a recipe from Steven Raichlen for Hamburgers with Herb Butter. There are a couple of more steps than you're probably used to when cooking burgers.The pancetta and white cheddar cheese sound like really nice touches.

I don't know who this "Herb Butter" guy is, but this sounds great. Full recipe after the jump.

Whether you are hosting the game for a crowd or just having a few people over to your house, platters of meat and cheese always go over well. You can serve them with crackers, or even set out buns with condiments so your guests can make their own sandwiches, but I find most people just like to pick away at the plates as they are.

Most grocery stores sell pre-made meat or cheese deli platters, but you can expect to pay exorbitant prices for the convenience. With a couple of easy tricks, you can make your own which will look professionally done, yet will save you some money in the end.

If you are making a meat tray, buy the deli meat at the last possible moment for maximum freshness. Once deli meat has been sliced or shaved, it is more apt to spoil so you want to work quickly and get it back in the fridge as soon as possible.

Until this dish, I was never a liver lover. Once again, I witnessed the amazing transformative properties of bacon, actually, in this case, pancetta. The following recipe has evolved since I started making it, and over the years I've incorporated aspects of recipes from Saveur, Marcella Hazan and Mark Bittman.

While this 'sauce' can easily serve as a fine pasta course with some pappardelle, my favorite thing to do is turn it into a paté by blending it in the food processor with a little tomato paste. The tomato paste adds an acidic sweetness to the liver and turns the color from that muddy paté-gray to a wonderful rust color.

[Photo: Nick Vagnoni]