200g(7 oz) chopped pancetta, or lardonsor Guincele if you can get it for a really authentic Amatriciana
½tspchilli flakes
1onionpeeled and finely chopped
400g(14 oz tin) good-quality chopped tomatoes
320g(11.3 oz) Bucatini pasta
100g(1 cup minus 1 tbsp) grated Pecorino cheese
½tspfreshly ground black pepper
small bunch of parsleychopped
Instructions
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the pancetta, cooking on a high heat until just crisp, stirring in the chilli flakes for the last minute of cooking.
1 tbsp olive oil, 200 g (7 oz) chopped pancetta, or lardons, 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
Remove the pancetta from the pan and add the onions to the oil that has been left in the pan.
1 onion
Cook the onions on a low heat for 8-10 minutes, until really soft. Add in the tinned tomatoes, bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened.
400 g (14 oz tin) good-quality chopped tomatoes
Cook your pasta at this point too. I cook my bucatini in boiling water for 7 minutes, so that it still retains a bite of bite, then drain, reserving half a cup of the pasta water.
320 g (11.3 oz) Bucatini pasta
Once the pasta is cooked and the tomatoes are thickened, add the pasta to the pan with the tomatoes. Add three-quarters of the Pecorino, the cooked pancetta, and the black pepper, then toss everything together to coat the pasta. Add in some of the pasta water if the sauce is a little too dry for you (although the sauce should stick to the pasta, without pooling at the bottom of the pan).
100 g (1 cup minus 1 tbsp) grated Pecorino cheese, 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Serve topped with the reserved Pecorino and parsley.