Asparagus with Pancetta and Tangled Leeks
This is the perfect side dish to treat yourself with, or put together for a gathering with friends and family! It’s simple, takes hardly no time, and will definitely impress.
I love how the bright citrus colors play against the pink pancetta and green asparagus. This dish is as eye catching as it is tasty!
As per usual, I like to keep the ingredients a bit loose to fit your personal taste, and how easy/difficult it is for you to shop for specific measurements in your grocery store! So feel free to experiment, play, and see what proportions of each ingredient you like the most.
Ingredients:
1 bunch asparagus
4-5 oz (roughly) diced pancetta
1/2 cup chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs butter
2 tbs pine nuts
Salt & Pepper (flake salt for garnish if you have it)
Zest of lemon & orange (about one full lemon, and a little less than a teaspoon of orange)
Let’s be real, if you can find fresh pancetta that you can dice at home, go for it! If not, some pre-diced, store bought, pancetta will do just fine.
Cook the pancetta…
Start by heating up a large pan over medium/high heat. Add pancetta. Cook until golden brown and slightly crispy. Set aside cooked pancetta onto paper towel, to drain. Try to reserve most of the pan grease, as you will use this to cook your asparagus in!
By setting aside your pancetta, it helps it keep it’s crispy texture, and won’t get too soggy!
Add butter to hot pan.
Add the asparagus & Leeks…
Add asparagus to melting butter. Be sure to cut off all the woody ends of the asparagus.
Cook asparagus for about 3 minutes, stirring to coat in butter. Add leeks. I recommend chopping your leeks cross wise into ribbons. (If you need guidance with preparing your leeks, you can watch this great video, which will guide you step by step to chopping and cleaning: How to Chop and Clean Leeks.) Season with a couple pinches of salt and pepper. (I add my leeks after the asparagus gets cooking, since the leeks will cook at a much faster rate.) Continue cooking for another 2 minutes. Add pine nuts and garlic. Cook for another minute to two minutes depending on how thick your asparagus is!
Garnish with zest!
Remove from heat, and add back in the pancetta! Give it one good stir and it’s ready to serve! I like to serve mine in an oven safe serving tray, so that I can continue to keep it warm in the oven and munch on it throughout the day! When you are ready to serve your dish, top with a smattering of lemon zest and orange zest, and a bit of flake sea salt!
The orange zest is entirely optional. I find it tastes great either way! If you don’t have flake salt, don’t worry. Just make sure the vegetables are seasoned with salt and pepper to your liking.
This dish serves about 5 people as a side dish. Although, I can’t guarantee some people won’t come back for seconds!