Pasta all'Amatriciana

Ingredients

For 4 portions

• 🍝 400g spaghetti (dry)
• 🥓 150g pancetta
• 🥫 400g canned tomatoes
• 🍷 60ml wine, table, white
• 🌿 0.5 Tsp chilli flakes
• 🏺 1 Tsp olive oil
• 🧀 60g parmesan cheese, hard
• 🧂 1 Tsp salt

Method

1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and add the salt.
2. Cut the pancetta into thick strips. Guanciale is the traditional choice, if you can find it. Put it in a wide, cold frying pan with the olive oil, turn the heat to medium and cook for 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the fat has melted and the edges are crisp.
3. Add the chilli flakes, stir for a few seconds, then pour in the wine and let it bubble away for 1 minute.
4. Crush the tinned tomatoes by hand and add them. Simmer for 12–15 minutes until thick and glossy.
5. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti or bucatini until 1 minute short of the packet time. Keep a mug of the pasta water before draining.
6. Toss the pasta in the sauce over a medium heat for 1 minute, adding a splash of pasta water to make it silky.
7. Take off the heat, stir in most of the grated cheese (pecorino romano is traditional, Parmesan is milder) and serve with the rest on top.