the basil is going crazy

I have a dilemma.  I have basil plants outside just going nuts, and I still have basil pesto in the freezer from last year.  Yes, I know, I must have been nuts not to use it all up over the winter.  But to make room for this year's harvest, I have been using last years harvest in any dish I can dream up.  So last night, I made up a dish from the freezer.  Pesto, pancetta, and peas, with little pasta shells that have been lingering too long in my pantry.  It was delicious, and ready for the plate in under 30 minutes.

some sliced pancetta and a hot pepper from the garden, 

along with a bit of frozen pesto -- dinner was fast

Pancetta is easy to find these days -- most grocery stores have it in the deli, ready to be sliced very thin.  Bacon will suffice in a pinch, but pancetta is not smoked, so the flavor is very different.  It crisps up much the same, and adds some great texture to a creamy dish.  I started by frying the pancetta in one of my beloved pans, and as it crisped, I added in the sliced hot pepper for a little kick.

I am still enamored with these French pans

While the pancetta crisped and the peppers softened, I boiled up some pasta shells.  While many different pasta shapes would do here, I like the shells particularly.  Their little cupped shape scoops up peas and pesto with alacrity.   I know it is the height of summer, but I must admit to using frozen peas.  Peas are a springtime treat, and we are far past spring.  Frozen peas are one of the best frozen veggies in the market.  Picked at the height of their season and flash frozen, the end product can often be superior to the peas you find in the veggie section at the market.  If someone told me I could have only two frozen veggies for the rest of my life, I would choose frozen peas and frozen pearl onions.  I don't even want to talk about the grim chore of peeling fresh pearl onions.

Once the shells were al dente and the pancetta crisp, I drained the pasta, tossed the still frozen peas in the empty pot along with the frozen pesto, and heated it all over low heat, just until everything melted.  In went the pasta, and I tossed it all together.

Onto a plate, and on with the crispy pancetta and hot peppers.  Lovely dish, from the garden, the freezer and the pantry, all together in less than 30 minutes.  Can't complain about that....

Impromptu mix of spring and summer flavors