Though the pork here is pancetta, this is basically bacon and egg sauce and you could, of course, make it with bacon if that’s how you feel. Small amounts of finely chopped oregano, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, or sage can be added as available. Spoon salsa rustica over grilled bread, grilled or roasted vegetables, roasted potatoes, sautéed greens, sliced tomatoes, boiled green beans, or cauliflower.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes about 3/4 cup
Ingredients
Preparation
Hard-boil the eggs:
Step 1
Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil, slip in the eggs, and cook for 9 minutes. Cool and peel, then chop, grate, or push through a spider—I prefer the eggs to be pretty chunky. In a medium bowl, season the eggs with salt and pepper and set aside.
Meanwhile:
Step 2
Warm a small skillet over medium-low heat, add the cooking oil, then the pancetta, and cook until it’s the way you like it: soft, crispy, or in between. Drain and set aside both the pancetta and the fat.
Step 3
Add the pancetta, garlic, parsley, olive oil, and a pinch of salt to the chopped eggs. Mix well, taste, and consider adding a tablespoon more of the olive oil or a tablespoon of the reserved pancetta fat. Spread everywhere, as if it were good news, which it is.
Variation
Step 4
More good news, this from the salty sea: Replace the pancetta with 8 anchovy fillets, drained and chopped or pounded to a paste. Keep the eggs in there, or don’t.
