Amatriciana with fresh tomatoes
Fresh fruit and vegetable are the best thing about summer, the heat is the absolute worst. We are at the start of summer’s most oppressive month and I am feeling it to the core. Though the veggies are gorgeous my brain is paused as to what to do with them, my body doesn’t feel like peeling itself off of the couch to cook it and my belly isn’t all that hungry. What to do? We have to eat and our wallets and our bellies can’t afford to eat out all of the time, though I have to say that it is very tempting.
We get 9 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables from our CSA each week and it would pain my heart to throw them away, so I go back to old standards with a new twist, like this amatriciana with fresh tomatoes. Perfect for summer.
Spaghetti all’Amatriciana
- 1 lb penne
- 1/4 lb of bacon (pancetta is better, but more expensive and not as easy to find, guanciale is also preferred)
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 cups of chopped fresh tomatoes, I had heirloom cherry tomatoes and a yellow tomato
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup grated pecorino romano
- salt to taste
Fill a large pot with water for the pasta. Bring to a boil over high heat.
Cut bacon into small slices and chop onions. Heat oil in a wide saucepan over medium-high heat and add the bacon. Sauté for about 5 minutes, until bacon starts to cook, add the onions and cook until they become transparent. Add the tomatoes and cook over a medium flame until the tomatoes start to break up, lower the heat and cover, adding water if it starts to dry out too much.
Once the water starts to boil for the pasta add a small handful of salt to the water and bring to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente.
When the pasta is perfectly al dente, turn up the heat on the sauce and drain the pasta. Without shaking all of the water out of the colander pour the pasta into the pan and toss it with the sauce. This allows for the pasta to cook a little longer in the sauce and to absorb the flavor.
Serve with grated pecorino romano.
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