Pea and pancetta parcels
These crispy pancetta parcels are full of peas, mint, celeriac and cheese. They make for a simple, elegant starter for two.
Ingredients
- 50g/1¾oz coarsely grated celeriac
- 100g/3½oz frozen peas, thawed
- 50g/1¾oz mature cheddar, coarsely grated
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint
- 25g/1oz fresh white breadcrumbs
- 1 free-range egg yolk
- 12 very thin rashers smoked pancetta
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
- flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the sauce
Method
Tip the grated celeriac into a jug with the thawed peas, cheese, garlic and onion powders, mint, breadcrumbs and egg yolk. Season with a good pinch of salt and lots of ground black pepper. Blend with a stick blender until the mixture comes together thickly. Adjust the seasoning to taste and blend again. Don’t over-blend the mixture – it should still have some texture.
Place three rashers of pancetta on a board, overlapping by around 1mm, then place another three across them in the opposite direction.
Roll the pea mixture into two balls. Take one of the balls and flatten into a small burger shape (it will be fairly soft and sticky). Place in the centre of the pancetta ‘cross’ and bring up the ends of the pancetta to enclose the pea mixture. Repeat with the remaining pancetta and the second pea ball to make two parcels.
Heat the oil in a medium non-stick frying pan over a low heat. Fry the parcels, smooth-side up, for around 3–4 minutes. Turn the parcels over and cook on the other side for around 3 minutes more, or until golden-brown and hot throughout. Make sure the pancetta doesn’t burn before the parcels are cooked through.
While the parcels are cooking, make the sauce by mixing the yoghurt with the chopped mint and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon into the centre of two plates. Top with the hot parcels and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and fresh mint leaves to garnish.