Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 200 g chopped pancetta, or lardons (or Guincele if you can get it for a really authentic Amatriciana)
  • 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
  • 1 onion (peeled and finely chopped)
  • 400 g tin of good-quality chopped tomatoes
  • 320 g Bucatini pasta
  • 100 g grated Pecorino cheese
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • Small bunch of parsley (chopped)

Instruction

  • Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the pancetta, cooking on a high heat until just crisp, stirring in the chilli flakes for the last minute of cooking.
  • Remove the pancetta from the pan and add the onions to the oil that has been left in the pan.
  • Cook the onions on a low heat for 8-10 minutes, until really soft. Add in the tinned tomatoes, bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened.
  • Cook your pasta at this point too. I cook my bucatini in boiling water for 7 minutes, so that it still retains a bite of bite, then drain, reserving half a cup of the pasta water.
  • Once the pasta is cooked and the tomatoes are thickened, add the pasta to the pan with the tomatoes. Add three-quarters of the percorino, the cooked pancetta and the black pepper, then toss everything together to coat the pasta. Add in some of pasta water if the sauce is a little too dry for you (although the sauce should stick to the pasta, without pooling at the bottom of the pan).
  • Serve topped with the reserved perorino and parsley.