Amatriciana Sauce

David bummed this Al’Amatriciana sauce, from the Agatha and Romeo restaurant near Roma Termini five years ago. Very healthy, diet food really.

Ingredients (for 4 people):

1. 300 grams pasta (rigatoni works nicely with this);
2. 75 – 150 grams chopped lardon (quantity depends on preference);
3. 2 chopped cloves garlic;
4. 1 can of Italian tomatoes (usually 150 grams) either whole or crushed
5. 125 ml white wine;
6. 125 grams parmesan;
7. salt, black pepper to taste;
8. 30 grams butter.

Fry up lardons and chopped garlic in olive oil until both are starting to get golden. Add wine and let alcohol burn off while scraping bottom of the pan which has been caramelized with lardon.

Add tomatoes and let simmer away about 20 minutes -- break up tomatoes if they are whole -- season with salt and pepper at this stage. Add parmesan to sauce -- stir until parmesan melts into sauce.

Add butter to sauce -- the sauce will turn colours from a deep red to orangey and should be creamy and oily. About 5 minutes before sauce is ready put pasta into boiling water -- make sure you undercook pasta by about a minute.

Drain pasta, reserve 1-2 tblsp of pasta cooking water. Put pasta in pan with the sauce; add the pasta water to loosen everything up. Mix around for about a minute, season further with salt and pepper to taste.