Bucatini all’Amatriciana

First, get a large pot of water on the stove and bring it up to a boil. While the water heats up, start on the sauce. Combine olive oil, pancetta, onion and half of the parsley in a large skillet with deep sides. Heat the pan over medium high heat. Let the fat from the pancetta render out and everything cook completely for 7–8 minutes. The pancetta should become crisp and the onions should caramelize slightly. While the mixture cooks, season it with the salt, garlic powder and crushed red pepper. Then add the tomato paste and red wine. Let cook for a minute or two while you stir it together and scrape up the brown bits.

Finally, add the crushed tomatoes. Let the sauce come to a gentle boil and reduce it to a simmer. The sauce needs to simmer for 3–4 minutes for the flavors to meld.

Meanwhile, start cooking the pasta. Salt the boiling water generously and pour the pasta in. Since it is thicker than other long pastas, it takes about 9 minutes. Before you drain it, reserve 1/4 cup of the salty, starchy cooking water and pour it into the sauce to loosen it up. Then add the drained pasta to the sauce and toss it all together well. Take the pan off of the heat and keep stirring the pasta while you pour in the cheeses. They will melt right in and emulsify into the sauce. Serve immediately with the remaining parsley garnished on top!