Spaghetti Amatriciana

This is my take on a traditional All'Amatrciana sauce. I can't remember where I first had this dish, but I've been making a version of it at home for a few years now. It's a great go-to when I don't feel like going to the store because I typically have most of these ingredients on hand. Also it has bacon in it so if that doesn't compell you to want to make this dish then you probably shouldn't be reading this blog anyway.

Ingredients:
Pancetta or Bacon (like 6-8 ounces)
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 can whole italian tomatoes
red pepper flakes to taste
1 tbsp chopped shallots or 1 garlic clove and 1/2 medium onion
1 cup white wine
8 oz grated parmegiano reggiano
Any store bought pasta you like

First add a couple tablespoons of olive oil to your pan to help get the bacon rendering. I like the more mild flavor of pancetta in this dish, but honestly I've made it with regular ol' hormel bacon and it's great. Grocery stores (even Wal-Mart!) are starting to sell pre-diced pancetta which is awesome because it can be a bit tricky to cut if you don't let it harden up in your freezer for a couple hours first (that's what she said!). Or have a wicked sharp knife.

After the bacon is nice and crispy, remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon and reserve for later. Discard half of the bacon fat as well.

Next, add your onion and garlic. I didn't have any on hand, so I just used about 2 tablespoons of pre-chopped shallots. Again, whatever you have on hand is fine. And as much as you like is fine too. This recipe is very flexible (That's what she . . okay, grow up).

Let the shallots saute for a while in the bacon fat, if you need to add more olive oil in the pan go ahead.

Once the onion/garlic/shallots become translucent, add about a cup of white wine, if you don't have any that's fine, you can use chicken stock.

Let the alcohol cook out and reduce by half (about 5 minutes).

Retrun the bacon to the pan.

Add in as much chili flakes as you can stand. I like mine pretty spicy. It's probably about a teaspoon.

Next add in your can of whole italian tomatoes (juice and all). I think it's important to use the imported Italian variety here (sometimes referred to as San Marzano), but I realize that's not always easy to find, but if you ever stop by Caputos or Granatos, it's worth picking up a few cans to keep on hand - they make a quick and easy pizza sauce. This was a small 16 oz. can (the size of a can of corn). Sometimes it's difficult to find the Italian tomatoes not in the large 32oz can, if that's all you can find you can freeze half.

I usually crush these in a bowl with my hands first but was trying to save on dishes, so I just dumped them in and smashed them with this potato smasher.

Once your pasta is just about done add it directly to the sauce - NEVER RINSE YOUR PASTA! Leaving the starch on will help the sauce adhere to the pasta, also some of the cooking liquid will help tighten up the sauce. Also, you salted your pasta water, right? Good.

At this point I turn off the heat and let the pasta finish cooking for another couple minutes in the sauce and I add in the cheese. Taste for salt and pepper.

Boom! Finished product. If you had fresh basil on hand you could tear some up and add on top just before serving, but no big deal.

It was very good. No? Are you calling my baby a liar?