Add Pancetta for Better Pasta
Pancetta Pasta Heaven
You know how adding bacon to any dish just makes it that much better? Well, adding another member of bacon’s family tree to the mix is even more sublime!
Bucatini, sometimes called perciatelli, is wider than spaghetti and has a hole running through it, which prevents the bucatini from bending too much after it’s cooked. Pancetta is our base for this delicious, non-bendy pasta sauce — and it will give a sophistication to this savory, bacony dish.
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Learn About Bacon’s Brother
Think of pancetta as the Italian, more aromatic version of bacon. But unlike bacon, pancetta is usually rolled instead of flat, and crusted with spices like fennel seed and black pepper instead of being smoked. Like bacon, pancetta adds meaty richness to everything from pastas to salads, but it boasts a subtle, spicy intensity that’s all its own.
Slicing and Dicing
Thinly sliced pancetta turns crisp when baked or sauteed. Diced and sauteed, a thick slice of pancetta makes a chewy topping for salads and pasta. It can also be chopped to give flavor to sauces and stews.
At the Store, at Home
Pancetta is available at many supermarkets and sold in chunks at the deli counter or in packaged slices in the refrigerator case. Refrigerate, wrapped in plastic, up to 1 week, or freeze up to 2 months.
Coarse salt and ground pepper
12 ounces bucatini or spaghetti
1 slice pancetta (6 ounces), diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes in juice
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano (2 ounces)
1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water. Drain pasta; return to pot.
2. While pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-low. Add pancetta, and cook until browned and crisp, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Using a slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain, and set aside (leave fat in skillet).
3. Increase heat to medium. Add onion and garlic to skillet; season with salt and pepper. Cook until onion begins to soften, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes (with juice); cook, breaking them up with a spoon, until sauce has slightly thickened, 5 to 8 minutes. Add sauce to pasta in pot; toss, adjusting consistency with pasta water if necessary. Serve pasta topped with pancetta and Pecorino.
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