Simple food...

This recipe is adapted from https://www.giallozafferano.com/recipes/Spaghetti-Amatriciana-Bacon-and-tomato-spaghetti.html

If you can find guanciale (it shouldn’t be too difficult to find in Australia), use pancetta. If you cannot find pancetta, use bacon.

For the pasta, use any of the long thicker pasta like bucatini or spaghetti.

I prefer bucatini.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 330g spaghetti
• 400g (1 can) peeled tomatoes
• 180g guanciale
• 60g Pecorino Romano cheese - for grating
• Fine salt to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil to taste
• Chilli flakes to taste
• 50g white wine

Instructions:

1. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente.
2. Take the guanciale, remove the pork rind and cut it into slices about 1 cm thick then into strips about 1/2 cm wide.
3. Cut the guanciale into strips and cook in medium heat pan, brown over low heat for 7-8 minutes until the fat has melted and the meat is crunchy; stir often to prevent it from burning. Add the chilli flakes.
4. Once the fat has melted, pour in the white wine, turn up the heat and let it evaporate.
5. Transfer the guanciale to a plate and set aside, pour the peeled tomatoes into the same pan, breaking them up with your hands directly into the cooking liquid, continue cooking the sauce for about 10 minutes.
6. Add the guanciale strips to the pan and stir to mix.
7. Once the spaghetti are cooked, drain them and add them directly to the sauce in the pan. Sauté the pasta very quickly to mix it well with the sauce. If you like the pasta al dente you can turn off the heat otherwise pour a little of the pasta cooking water to continue cooking.
8. To finish, sprinkle with grated pecorino cheese: your spaghetti all'Amatriciana is ready to be served!