Bucatini all' amatriciana – pasta with bacon, onions and tomatoes

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 400 g pork cheek(s) or belly bacon, smoked
• 300 g onion(s), white
• 600 g bucatini or macaroni
• 400 ml tomatoes, peeled
• 2 tomatoes
• 70 g Parmesan, grated
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper, black, from the mill
• e.g. basil leaves or parsley leaves

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour

Trim the cartilage and rind from the bacon and place it in a cold pan. Fry the bacon over medium heat and then remove it from the pan without rendering any fat. Cut the bacon into 1 cm cubes and fry in the pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil until crispy. Finely chop the onion and sauté it in the bacon until translucent. Lightly chop the canned tomatoes and stir them into the pan. Season with salt and pepper and simmer over low heat until the pasta is tender. Cook the bucatini or macaroni in 3 liters of salted water (with 20 g salt = 1 heaped tablespoon) for about 10 minutes until al dente. Pour into a sieve, reserving about 100 ml of the pasta water. Immediately toss the pasta in a preheated bowl with the bacon, onion and tomato mixture. Add more pasta water if desired. Stir in half of the Parmesan cheese. Finely chop the fresh tomatoes, season lightly with salt, and spread them over the pasta. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese. Garnish with basil or parsley leaves, grind more black pepper, and serve.