Dreaming of Rome...

I didn't do much cooking this weekend, and I regret it! :( I just didn't seem to have much inspiration. Odd. Earlier in the week, my lovely coworker, Anne, brought me a bag of Bucatini that she bought in Florida. Bucatini is a really thick spaghetti with a hole down the center like a straw.

I decided to try the traditional Italian dish, Bucatini all'Amatriciana. Amatriciana style sauce originated from the town of Amatrice, in the Lazio region of Italy. Traditional amatriciana contains pork meat (guanciale if you can find it -- I used pancetta), crushed red pepper, tomatoes, and garlic. Variations include onion and white wine.

I used the following ingredients:

• 6 ounces pancetta, diced
• 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 (14.5 oz) can crushed tomatoes, plus 1 medium tomato, chopped
• s&p
  

 First, cook the pancetta in a pan over medium-high heat for about 5-7 minutes. Add the onions and coook for an additional 5 minutes. Next, add the pepper flakes and garlic and cook for a minute. Finally, add the tomatoes and season.

Turn heat down to low. While the sauce is thickening, cook the pasta as directed.

Drain pasta when finished. Spoon the amatrician over the pasta and enjoy!

We added some grated Paranno on top.

When we finished eating, Brandon pulled out some cookies & cream ice cream. It was a little freezer burnt. Okay, severely freezer burnt to the point where there were miniature icicles on the lid...NOT NORMAL.

But of course he dug in anyway!