Rigatoni Amatriciana

Ingredients

15 ounces can peeled tomatoes
1 medium onion
¼ teaspoon Italian chili flakes
2 – 3 ounces guanciale (pancetta or bacon can substitute)
1 pound rigatoni
salt (for pasta water and to taste)
grated Pecorino Romano
½ cup fresh parsley or basil (garnish)

Directions

Place guanciale in the freezer for about 30 – 45 minutes. Freezing the guanciale will make it easier to slice.

Slice guanciale into lardons about 1/4″ thick by a 1/2″ wide.

Open can and pour tomatoes into a small mixing bowl. Either squeeze the tomatoes with your hands or mash them with a potato masher. Set aside.

Place cut guanciale flat into a cool pan and turn heat on medium high.

Add the chopped onion and chili flake once the guanciale just begins to turn translucent, gets brown on the edges and renders its fat.

Cook the onion until soft and translucent and the guanciale is light brown (not burned). About 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes and their liquid, adding a little water to rinse every bit of tomato product from the bowl. Simmer about 45 minutes, adding water as necessary to prevent scorching.

Once the sauce has cooked 45 minutes and is thick and pasty, turn heat to its lowest setting to keep the sauce warm.
Boil the pasta in 4 to 5 cups of salted water.

Drop pasta into boiling water. Cook per instructions on the pasta box.

Four minutes before the pasta is ready, raise the heat on the sauce to medium-high.

About a minute before the pasta is fully cooked to just al dente. Use a spider or large slotted/perforated spoon to lift the pasta out of the pasta water and into the pasta sauce. if you choose to use a colander, reserve about 2 cups of the pasta water before draining the pasta. (You’ll probably use about a cup.)

If using a colander, immediately transfer the pasta to the pan with the sauce.

Mix pasta and sauce for 30 seconds. Slowly begin incorporating the pasta water into the sauce until the sauce becomes viscous and you can see the bottom of the pan when dragging a wooden spoon on the bottom of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat.

Top with grated Pecorino Romano and either flat leaf Italian parsley or fresh basil.