Spaghetti all’ Amatriciana

Here's what you'll need:

For the Pasta:

• 2 1/2 cups of flour
• 5 eggs

For the Sauce:

• 1 white onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• Fresh basil leaves, diced
• 12 large slices of pancetta, chopped in small pieces
• 4 1/2 pounds of fresh roma tomatoes, quartered
• 1/2 glass of white wine

Instructions:

For the Pasta:

1. Place the flour on the work surface and make a well in the centre.
2. Break the eggs into the well and gradually incorporate the flour together with the eggs, using your hands.
3. When the mixture starts to firm up begin to knead it with the heel of your hand. The dough should be worked like this for about 5 mins, and then left to rest in the fridge for at least an hour before working further with the pasta machine (or by hand).
4. To cut, work the dough into a long, even sheet, rolling it gradually to reach no.1 on the pasta machine.
5. Sprinkle it liberally with semolina flour and then roll it up from both sides.
6. Cut it into tagliatelle or spaghetti using the “guitar” machine, then shake out and pile into portions.
7. Finally, cook the spaghetti for about 9 minutes in boiling water.

For the Sauce:

1. Finely chop the onion and the garlic.
2. Drop the chopped ingredients into a your sauce pot over medium heat with a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil, and fry for a few minutes until transparent.
3. Add the basil leaves and immediately after the quartered tomatoes. Cook it for about 1 hour.
4. Pass the sauce through a vegetable mill and return to the stove to simmer on low heat.
5. In a large frying pan, dry fry the pancetta until almost cooked through.
6. Deglaze the pan with white wine, and then add the tomato sauce.

Prepare your dish with more fresh chopped basil and grated pecorino cheese!

I got this recipe from a cooking class I took in Tuscany at the gorgeous Villa Bordoni.