Blue Apron says to wash and dry all the fresh produce before starting the prep. This is an excellent idea because you don't know where most of the produce comes from, how it is handled, and what pesticides they use.
The sugar snap peas have a string that runs the length of each pod. This string is challenging and most difficult to chew. Remove the string using a paring knife to grab the string from one end and pull it off.
Once the snap peas are de-stringed, cut them in half crosswise.
Asparagus has a tough woody stem that you'll want to remove. I like grabbing it at the end and middle and snapping off the tough, woody stem. It's magic how the asparagus knows precisely where to snap off, but it always works.
Cut the asparagus into 1-inch pieces, but please leave the pointed tips intact. They always look impressive on a plate.
Zest the lemon with a zester or small side of a box grater. I've noticed many of Blue Apron's recipes require zesting a lemon or lime. It does, however, add a nice layer of flavor.
After zesting, quarter the lemon, remove the seeds, and reserve for later.
Peel the shallot and dice to a medium dice. We could get technical and examine what a medium dice looks like, but we'll reserve that for another day.
Finally, pick the mint leaves off the stems and discard the stems.
Oh yeah, most likely, you will not purchase pancetta already diced like Blue Apron sends you. You will buy a piece from the market and need to dice it yourself. This dice is larger than the dice you made for the shallot. I may need to write a post about the different dice sizes!