Spaghetti all'Amatriciana

Traditional and classic Italian spaghetti with spicy crushed tomatoes, savory pancetta, and fresh, sweet basil.

Happy Monday! I hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend.
After all the time spent cooking and barbecuing for your 4th of July party, and after (over?)indulging yourself with the delicious food you made (I know... we all did!!) here is a quick, simple and light pasta recipe for your dinner tonight.
The spaghettia all'amatriciana is a very traditional, truly Italian pasta dish. It's a perfect combination of spicy crushed tomatoes, with the scent of fresh and sweet basil, and the fragrant aroma of saute' pancetta. This pasta is super delicious and always welcomed at my dinner table.
There are several, somewhat similar ways to prepare these spaghetti. Some use guanciale and other pancetta; some have chopped onion, other do not; some cook it with spaghetti, other with bucatini ... Well, this is how I like it:


Ingredients:

• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 2 oz of pancetta, cubed
• 1 (or more!) peperoncino - hot pepper 
• crushed tomatoes (I like the canned San Marzano whole tomatoes, and I crushed them)
• 1/2 cup of white wine
• 3 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• some leaves of fresh basil
• 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 12 oz of thick spaghetti, as usual, I use Barilla 
• salt to taste

Preparation time: no more than 30 minutes

Directions:
Step 1: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook the spaghetti when it boils. In the meantime, prepare the sauce. In a large skillet, saute' over medium heat the olive oil with the peperoncino, the pancetta and the chopped onion for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is softer and the pancetta slightly golden.

Step 2: Add the crushed tomatoes, the white wine and salt to taste. Be careful not to add to much, the pancetta can be quite salty.  As soon as it starts to boil, lower the heat and simmer  for about 15 minutes.

Step 3: When ready, drain the pasta, add it to the skillet with the sauce, also mixing in the Parmesan cheese and the basil leaves.
Note: It's always a good idea to add the basil at the end, because cooking it in the sauce for too long might remove some of its flavor!

Serve immediately - Buon Appetito!

pancetta pasta spaghetti tomatoes 15:22