Tomato and Pancetta Pasta Sauce

This is a great recipe – it is very easy to make, can be made from store cupboard ingredients, quickly, and in advance if necessary.  It can be kept in the fridge, freezes well and reheats well too.

If the fridge is almost empty, you could probably guarantee that I would still have the fixings for this recipe.  I’m sure fresh pancetta from an Italian Deli would be ideal, but I confess that I usually buy packs of chopped pancetta from our local supermarket and stockpile them in the fridge for moments when I lack inspiration or need to get food out in a hurry.

Notes on the Ingredients:

* You can use a mixture of chopped tomatoes and/or tinned cherry tomatoes- whatever you have in the store cupboard.

* * The red wine is optional.  it gives a deeper flavour but can be omitted if you are cooking for children or anyone with an alcohol free diet.

You can also add if you have it – Fresh basil or Parsley, or 1T Tomato paste if you want a richer sauce (in which case, cook it for longer and add a little sugar as well), Sliced mushrooms or some frozen peas, or a little dried chilli

Method

1. In a medium sized saucepan, heat the olive oil and cook the chopped pancetta on a high heat until it is browned and crispy around the edges and most of the fat has become liquid.  Drain off the excess fat and turn down the heat.
   
2. Add the chopped onion and crushed garlic and cook for a further 3-4 minutes until the onion and garlic are soft and translucent.
   
3. Add the tinned tomatoes and if using, the red wine and cook the sauce over a medium heat for at least 10 minutes until everything is boiling away nicely and the alcohol has cooked off.  (If I am using tomato paste or chilli  I add it at the same time as the tin of tomatoes.  Any extra vegetables can be added near the end so that they cook in the sauce but aren’t overcooked.  Fresh herbs are a bonus and I chop these and add them right at the end if I have them).
   
4. Taste and add freshly ground pepper.  The pancetta is quite salty so you may not need to add any salt.  Sprinkle some freshly grated parmesan over the top and eat with penne or any other cooked pasta.