{"id":3853,"date":"2015-03-25T01:18:38","date_gmt":"2015-03-25T01:18:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/food.hoggardwagner.org\/?p=3853"},"modified":"2015-03-25T01:18:38","modified_gmt":"2015-03-25T01:18:38","slug":"croxetti-with-pancetta-shallots-pea-sprouts-lemon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/food.hoggardwagner.org\/?p=3853","title":{"rendered":"croxetti with pancetta, shallots, pea sprouts, lemon"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"croxetti_pea_sprouts_pancetta\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Note to self: \u00a0This entr\u00e9e was a very special treat, and would be suitable for a gentle festive occasion.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This looks a bit like round ravioli, but it’s actually Croxetti<\/a>, a very special (unfilled) pasta original\u00a0to the Ligurian coast. \u00a0I have something of a modest passion for it, and I’ve accumulated over\u00a0a dozen attractive recipes to satisfy it. \u00a0This is the first time I’ve had pea sprouts and Croxetti at the same time, so I came up with the idea of adding a bit of cured pork flavor to the mix. \u00a0 Having gotten that far, I really didn’t have to look for more in the way of an organized recipe, but this<\/a> turned out to be\u00a0exactly what I wanted, so,\u00a0voil\u00e0!<\/p>\n

Part of my obsession with Croxetti may be it’s resemblance to the wafers distributed to the faithful in the\u00a0Catholic\u00a0Eucharist. \u00a0As a child, I really got off \u00a0on the Roman Church’s ritual (smells, bells, pretty vestments, grand\u00a0architecture, Latin!) and I’ve always been a fan of bread, in almost any form. \u00a0 Confession: when I was very young I tried to imitate the host which I found so delicious by simply\u00a0undoing\u00a0the leavening process which brought Wonder Bread to our table, by pressing the air out of a slice and drying it (it didn’t work, which means it may be all the more surprising that I left the Church half a century back).<\/p>\n