Sugo all'amatriciana

Sugo all'amatriciana is a traditiional Italian pasta sauce made with  guanciale, pecorino cheese and tomato. No onions or garlic is used in the sauce. The dish is named after the small town of Amatrice in the mountains northeast of Rome. While in Amatrice the dish is prepared with spaghetti, the use of bucatini has become extremely common after the recipe became popular in Rome. Bucatini, is thick spaghetti -like pasta with a hole running through the center. The name comes from Italian: buco, meaning "hole", while bucato means "pierced". I am using spaghetti pasta in this dish, since I have very little bucatini  pasta left in my pantry.

Ingredients:

2 tblsp of olive oil

1/4 pound pancetta or guanciale, chopped
1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes
14 ozs San Marzano tomatoes ( crush the tomatoes using your hands)
salt to taste
1/2  pound spaghetti
1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

parsley for garnish

Method

Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add the pancetta or guanciale and cook, stirring often, until goldenbrown, about 10 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and crush tomatoes with juices to pan. 

Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 15 to 20 minutes.

While the sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and the spaghetti. Cook uncovered over high heat until al dente.

Drain the pasta, and add  to the sauce and with a little of the pasta water. Add 1/4 cup of the Pecorino Pomano to the sauce in the saucepan and toss well. Sprinkle some chopped parsley. Transfer to warm serving plates and serve immediately, with the remaining Pecorino Romano on the side.