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    April 29, 2011

    Pea Soup topped with Crunchy Guanciale

    Spring peas

    Pea Soup Topped with Crunchy Guanciale

    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes
    Whether you’re using fresh peas from the garden or dried, split peas in the winter the procedure is the same; only the cooking time varies.
    Course: Soup
    Cuisine: Italian
    Keyword: guanciale, peas
    Wendy
    Servings: 2
    Wendy

    Ingredients 
    Metric - U.S. Customary

    • 90 grams guanciale (pork jowl), finely cubed
    • 1 medium onion, minced minced
    • 2 tbsp olive oil
    • 2 cups shelled fresh peas or dried split peas
    • 2 cups Water 2 to 4 cups
    • 1 tsp salt

    Instructions

    • Sauté the guanciale until crisp and golden.
    • Drain excess oil from the guanciale and set it aside for the soup topping.
    • Sauté the onion in the olive oil until translucent.
    • Add the peas, two cups water and salt and simmer until the peas are tender. about 10 minutes. Add more water as desired.
    • Allow the soup to cool, then place in a blender & process until smooth and creamy.
    • Reheat the soup and serve in bowls topped with cubed guanciale.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 2cups | Calories: 1183kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 98g | Saturated Fat: 30g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 3141mg | Potassium: 868mg | Fiber: 16g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 2220IU | Vitamin C: 124.2mg | Calcium: 113mg | Iron: 4.5mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    I love pea soup in the winter, and in the spring when peas are fresh and in season, and what really makes it tasty is the addition of crunchy guanciale on the top.
    So what exactly is guanciale and what differentiates it from pancetta? Guanciale is pork jowl or cheek: guancia is the Italian word for cheek, hence guanciale. Pancetta comes from the abdomen or belly area. Pancia is the Italian word for abdomen, hence pancetta.
    Guanciale is almost all fat, whereas pancetta is a much meatier pork product. You can really see the difference in this picture as our local grocer holds up both (guanciale on the left):

    Guanciale is traditionally used to prepare some of the best Italian pasta sauces: pasta alla carbonara and pasta all'amatriciana. Both are local Roman, poor man's dishes. The ingredients are simple but many restaurants don't quite manage to cook the guanciale correctly. Unfortunate as it's the magic ingredient in both of these dishes. The key is to cook the cubed or sliced guanciale slowly, over low heat until it's golden and crisp.

    Cubed and just in the frying pan the guanciale looks like this:

    Much of the fat has begun to melt and the guanciale is beginning to brown...

    Once the cubes are nice and golden brown prop the frying pan up slightly to drain the excess fat from the guanciale cubes.

    Pea Soup:

    Whether you're using fresh peas from the garden or dried, split peas in the winter the procedure is the same; only the cooking time varies.

    Ingredients:
    Two cups shelled fresh peas (or dried split peas)
    One medium onion, minced
    2 tbsp. olive oil
    2 tsp. salt
    Water, 2 to 4 cups

    Preparation:
    Sauté the onion in the olive oil until translucent.
    Add the peas, several cups water and salt and simmer until the peas are tender. Add more water as desired.
    Allow the soup to cool, then place in a blender & process until smooth and creamy.
    Reheat the soup and serve in bowls topped with cubed guanciale.

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    Comments

    1. camelia says

      May 27, 2011 at 8:25 pm

      Hello,

      We bumped into your blog and we really liked it - great recipes YUM YUM.
      We would like to add it to the Petitchef.com.

      We would be delighted if you could add your blog to Petitchef so that our users can, as us,
      enjoy your recipes.

      Petitchef is a french based Cooking recipes Portal. Several hundred Blogs are already members
      and benefit from their exposure on Petitchef.com.

      To add your site to the Petitchef family you can use http://en.petitchef.com/?obj=front&action=site_ajout_form or just go to Petitchef.com and click on "Add your site"

      Best regards,

      petitchef.com

      Reply

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    About

    Wendy at Roscioli
    I’m American and I’ve lived in Italy for nearly four decades with my Italian family. My passion and strength lies in sharing Italian stories, recipes and unique travel insights on my blog, my Flavor of Italy trips and tours, newsletter and podcast. Continue Reading...

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