FIRE ROASTED BUCATINI AL’ AMATRICIANA

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This is one of my go-to pasta dishes.  Its spicy and sweet at the same time.  If you can’t find bucatini just use spaghetti noodles.  Best Amatriciana recipe you will find on the internet.

Ingredients

1 28-ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes
2 16-ounce cans diced fire roasted tomatoes
½ cup water
8 tablespoons olive oil
12 sliced thick cut amber wood smoked bacon, cut crosswise in ½ inch pieces
1 3-ounce package of chopped pancetta
7 cups yellow onions, sliced 1/3 inch thick
8 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 cup red wine
¼ teaspoon red chili pepper flakes (or more if you want it spicier)
1 cup roasted piquillo peppers, chopped
2 lbs bucatini pasta
2 cups parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil.  When boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente.  Set aside.

Soak the onion slices in extremely hot water for 10 minutes.  Drain.  Set aside.

Put all the tomatoes in a large bowl.  With your hands, squeeze the tomatoes to crush them.  Set aside.

In a large Dutch oven, add the olive oil and heat to medium heat.  Add the bacon pieces and pancetta.  Cook until brown and crispy.  Remove the pieces with a slotted spoon, leaving all the grease in the pan and put on a plate.  Add the onions to the Dutch oven and cook on low-medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring constantly.  Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.  When the onions are slightly caramelized, add the crushed garlic and smoked paprika and rosemary and cook for 2 minutes.  Sprinkle the red chili pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute.  Deglaze with the red wine and simmer on high for about 2 minutes to cook off some of the alcohol.  Add back the bacon and pancetta mixture to the pan along with any drippings that were on the plate.  Add the tomatoes and piquillo peppers and 1 cup water from the slosh left over in the tomato cans and mix well.

Simmer for about 1 hour with the lid on.  Remove the lid and cook for about 30 minutes more.  Turn off the heat and mix in the grated cheese and mix well.  Serve with the pasta.

You can cut this recipe in ½ or just freeze the other half of the sauce.  Serves 8