Spaghetti All’Amatriciana

The classic Italian All'Amictricinana (purportedly originating from Amatrice, north of Rome) is a simple tomato sauce with guanciole - a tasty salt-cured pork product from the cheek (unlike pancetta and bacon which come from the belly). Unfortunately, it is more expensive and difficult to find, so substitutes are justified). I like to see the tomato in this dish - which I fire up with crushed red pepper flakes), so I amped up the tomatoes - see notes.

I also use garlic, which may enflame the purists. This is my version of the dish.

1/2 lb spaghetti

1/2 recipe My Simple House Tomato Sauce, or favorite (about 3 cups)

crushed red pepper flakes to taste

1/4 lb pancetta (or bacon, or guanciale if you can find it - I used pancetta)

Garnish:

Parmigiana cheese, to taste

Small palmful fresh parsley leaves, finely minced

Prepare My Simple House Tomato Sauce, and add the pancetta in with the onions. Season with red pepper flakes to taste. Continue until sauce has simmered about 2 hours.

Cook spaghetti in plenty of well-salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve a cup of pasta cooking water and drain spaghetti. Toss spaghetti with sauce to taste in a mixing bowl. Adjust sauce consistency with pasta cooking water to taste. Tip into bowls and garnish with Parmigiana cheese and parsley.

Serves 2-3.

Cook’s Notes: I like the tomatoes to register independently from the sauce for this dish so I pulled back and used only about half the crushed tomatoes, and added 1-2 fresh ripe plum tomatoes, diced. You can vary this basic recipe to whatever suits your fancy.

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