Pancetta

All'Amatriciana, a spicy Italian pasta sauce, is traditionally made with guanciale, salt-cured pork jowl. Pancetta is much easier to find and is a fantastic substitute, while thinly sliced yellow squash is a wonderful gluten-free alternative to semolina noodles.

The potent garlic-herb paste helps the pancetta hug the lamb and flavors both as they roast.

These decadent beef burgers from Koren Grieveson of Avec in Chicago stay incredibly moist even when they're well done. The secret? Ground pancetta mixed into the ground beef bastes the burgers from the inside.

The only thing better than a full plate of caramelized Brussels sprouts is a plate of Brussels sprouts with pancetta.

In Mario Batali's riff on the traditional antipasto of prosciutto-wrapped asparagus, he wraps spears in pancetta (which, unlike prosciutto, becomes nicely crispy when cooked) and grills them. Adding a bit of tanginess is the citronette, a marvelously bright-tasting mustardy-orange dressing.

Gabriel Rucker of Le Pigeon in Portland, Oregon, uses nutty brown butter instead of oil in a warm vinaigrette for a summer vegetable salad.

Peak-season tomatoes make all the difference in this simple bruschetta from author Susan Spungen. They're the perfect accompaniment to a bowl of soup or a large salad, or, to turn them into two-bite hors d'oeuvres, simply cut the bruschetta crosswise into strips.

Daniel Humm's terrific summer salad is crisp and lemony, with bits of meaty pancetta and lots of fresh mint. Since the snow peas aren't cooked, it's best to buy them super-fresh, preferably from a farmers' market.

Leyden, a Dutch cheese flecked with cumin seeds, inspired Laura Werlin to create this cumin-spiced Gouda fondue. Serve it with soft, warm pretzels or pickled vegetables for dipping.

Instead of using tomato sauce, Hugh Acheson makes his version of baked ziti with intensely sweet roasted tomatoes.

After rubbing the turkey with a bold and delicious mix of chile powder, cumin, sugar and herbs, Texas chef Tim Love blankets it with slices of salty, fatty pancetta, resulting in a supermoist and savory roasted turkey.