Bucatini All'Amatriciana

This is a pasta dish that comes from the town of Amatrice, east of Rome. There, it is made with cured pork jowl, but I use bacon. I discovered a secret, if ordinary bacon is allowed to become fully crisp, and then removed from the pan before other things are sautéed in its drippings; the dish will lose all of its smokiness, when the bacon pieces are added back in while the specific mixture cooks. I do this a lot now, but pancetta still can be used, you'll need about 5 ounces. The secret is lots of cheese. If you cannot find bucatini, spaghetti can replace it, as can boxed fettuccine, penne, rigatoni, or linguine, or ziti.

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 28  ounces  whole tomatoes with juice
• 1 -2  tablespoon  chili oil (or vegetable oil)
• 5  slices  of thick cut bacon, sliced 1/2-inch thick
• 1  medium-large onion, halved, peeled, thinly sliced
• 1 -2  teaspoon  red chili pepper flakes
•  salt and pepper
• 4 -5  tablespoons dry white wine
• 1  lb bucatini pasta or 1  lb other pastas
• 4 -6  ounces parmesan cheese, grated

Directions

1. Open the tin of tomatoes. Have three bowls at hand and a fine sieve. Retrieve the whole tomatoes from the can, a few at the time and place them in one bowl. Strain the cans juices, through the sieve, into the other, using a dessert spoon, and working in batches if necessary, until all the pulp comes through, discard the pulp. Set aside.
2. Pull the cores from each whole tomato, discard. Open the tomato flesh, and discard as many seeds as will easily fall away. Place the cleaned tomatoes into the third bowl, along with any juices, straining if desired.
3. Choose a broad skillet or sauté pan, put in the oil and the chopped bacon, add a pinch of salt and a grinding of pepper, turn the heat at least to medium, and cook, stirring all the while, until the bacon looses its fresh color and starts to become crisp. Cook it fully, remove with a wooden or slotted spoon, letting the drippings fall back in the pan.
4. Add the onion, season lightly, and cook over medium or medium high heat until the onion is wilted and gold, sometimes I cook mine till parts of it are almost black. Add the red pepper. Simmer just a moment or two, three at the most. Then stir in the wine, and reduce.
5. Add the juice from the tomatoes. Reduce, stirring.
6. When the mixture has thickened, add the tomato pulp and simmer 5-7 minutes. Taste and correct for salt. Remove the pan from heat.
7. Cook the pasta till al dent in rapidly boiling salted water, stirring several times. Drain, reserving a little of the pasta water, if needed.
8. Reheat the sauce with the pasta, only adding pasta cooking water if it seems tight and stir in one or two handfuls of Parmesan cheese.
9. Transfer to plates or bowls and garnish with more cheese as desired.