Pancetta is often called Italian bacon. That's a true enough description, but unlike American bacon, which is most often smoked, pancetta is unsmoked pork belly that is cured in salt and spices such as nutmeg, pepper and fennel. It's then dried for a few months. Can be lightly cooked and added to a salad.
Prosciutto is the Italian word for “ham,” although most cooks outside of Italy associate prosciutto with a specific type of cure for ham. To make prosciutto, ham is salted and then air dried for a period of up to two years. After curing, prosciutto is sliced into paper thin pieces which are usually slightly transparent or cubed in uniform very small pieces. It is typically eaten uncooked, on charcuterie plates, wrapped around fruit and vegetables, or in salads. This also is delightful shaped into a rose and served on a cantaloupe melon and cheddar cheese cupcake (That is for another recipe post and is a collaboration Sasha Sweder from the Sweder Side of Life and myself.) In some cases, prosciutto may be lightly cooked, as is the case when it is tossed with pasta.
What is Mofongo? Aunt Clara’s Dominican Cookbook concedes that "mofongo, a dish with a special place in the hearts and stomachs of Dominicans, actually originates in the neighboring island of Puerto Rico."
Making mofongo (who cares where it comes from?)
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