Bucatini All'amatriciana (Pasta W/ Tomato, Bacon & Hot Peppe

Submitted by PSU_Lioness

"I found this on the "The Family Kitchen" website (posted by ONEHUNGRYMAMA). I used the habanero pepper and bacon options and my husband ate until he couldn't move. He swore that it was one of the best pasta dishes that he had ever eaten. It comes together easily and tastes good enough to serve when company is coming!"

 

• Ready In: 1hr
• Ingredients: 9
• Serves: 4-6

ingredients

• 1 lb bucatini pasta (or perciatelli or, if you canâ t find either, spaghetti work well)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 extra large red onion, cut into 1/2
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1⁄2 lb pancetta, cut 1/4 (or guanciale or plain old bacon)
• 1 -3 habanero pepper, seeded, deveined and thinly sliced (any hot pepper will do or use 1/2 â 1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes)
• 1 (28 ounce) can whole canned tomatoes
• 1⁄2 cup grated pecorino cheese, plus extra to top
• salt and pepper

directions

1. Put a large pot of salted water on medium-high heat (about 6 qts water to 2 tbs salt). Bring to a boil and cook pasta until al dente.
2. Drain, saving about a mug full of cooking water. Set pasta and reserved cooking water aside.
3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onions and garlic. Sauté over medium heat until transparent.
4. Create a space in the middle of the skillet by pushing onions and garlic to the side. Spread the pancetta in the open space and cook until it starts to brown.
5. Mix together pancetta, onions and garlic, and add peppers. Keep sautéing until everything turns a nice golden brown color.
6. Add tomatoes to onion mixture, breaking each one up with your hands.
7. When all of the tomatoes have been added, pour the sauce from the can into the skillet.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste (don’t be shy with the salt).
9. Cook for about 15 minutes, until sauce thickens and all the flavors pull together. This is not meant to be a heavy sauce, rather it should give a nice coating to the pasta.
10. Toss pasta in the skillet with sauce over low-medium heat.
11. Add cheese, an extra drizzle of olive oil and as much cooking water as you need to extend the sauce so that it coats all of the pasta.
12. Keep tossing until all of the pasta is well dressed and heated throughout.
13. Taste and adjust seasoning to get it just right–you may want to add more olive oil, cheese, salt and/or pepper. Enjoy!
14. Note: The amount of pepper you use and whether you seed and de-vein the fresh ones depends on how spicy you like your food. Also, the type of pepper you use will impact the taste of your sauce, so play around. I’ve used everything from red jalapenos to (fewer) scotch bonnets.