Often the best things in life are the simplest. If you have never made a sauce in your life, you can make this one. It has only a few ingredients, it is open to interpretation, or substitution and it will always reward you with a delicious plate of food.
1/4 pound of pancetta (American bacon can be substituted, just omit the oil)
splash of olive oil
2 large white onions thinly sliced
4 Roma tomatoes diced
Salt
Red Pepper flakes
1/2 pound Bucatini or the pasta of your choice
Wine to drink and a splash in the sauce if you need it.
Splash a little oil in your pan and brown your pancetta. If you want to keep the pancetta crisp, remove when brown and toss in the onions. Cook the onion over medium heat until they almost melt, they should be very soft, a little salt on the onions decreases cooking time as they wilt faster. Toss in your tomatoes and a little more salt. Bring a heavily salted pot of water to a boil and cook the Bucatina, this pasta cooks quickly so drain before fully done and toss in the pan with your tomatoes. Add a little pasta water or wine if the sauce is too thick and toss your pancetta back in along with a few shakes of red pepper flakes.
It's that simple. You finish cooking the pasta in the sauce which absorbs into it and fills the little holes inside the Bucatini with flavor.
Yes, you can add some cheese.
Yes, you can put a bit of garlic in this sauce.
Quite frankly, none of it is needed. The crisp bacon and sweet onion and tomato flavor are quite enough. You will be cooking like a Roman grandmother in no time.
2 comments:
That is the beauty of Italian food. 5 ingredients sound like a feast because they are a feast.
For those who do not read Italian Lottromatix is giving us a link to a recipe he claims is the original.
It contains no onion, white wine and does contain cheese.
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