Recipe time

So, here we go. Recipe time. I had other things planned for this post, but decided that this week I wanted to try and make some Italian style simple meals, and one in particular - made entirely from scratch and without any existing recipe - worked damn well.

So here we go.

Pasta with Tomato, Pancetta and Parmesan Ragu.

So, you'll need (Serves 2 portions):

• Pasta - I used fusilli, but it doesn't matter what type really
• Pancetta - I'd recommend using rashers rather than cubes
• Parmesan - Grab a decent triangle of it, rather than the pre-grated
• Passata - About 500ml
• 1 Clove of Garlic
• Black Pepper and Salt to taste

So first things first. Grab a couple of saucepans ready, one with water in for the pasta and one for the sauce.

Take the Pancetta rashers and slice them into pieces about 2cm square. Use as much or as little Pancetta as you like, but I prefer to use a decent amount, especially as it really makes the flavour come alive.

Put the Pancetta into the pan for the sauce and fry it for a few minutes until its started to brown and ever so slightly crisp. Don't overdo it.

Next add in the passata, and turn on the heat for the pasta.


Allow the passata to start to simmer and add in the garlic clove, crushed. Then season the sauce with liberal amounts of black pepper and a touch of salt.

At some point during this process your water will be ready for the pasta. Put it in and let it go. The amount of sauce you'll have is really for two people as a main meal, so either cook enough pasta for two, or cook for one and only serve up half the sauce in this sitting. Tis up to you.

So, once the passata is simmering nicely, it's time to make the biggest impact on the sauce. Grate some parmesan and add it in to the sauce. Again, the amount is up to you, but I like a fair bit in there. The best thing is to add some, stir it up, taste the sauce, and add more if needed. But believe me, when you do add it you'll find the sauce goes from basic tomato to something deliciously decadent in no time. The parmesan with its salty, earthy cheese flavour really makes a difference.

Keep simmering the sauce on low to thicken it up a little whilst the pasta cooks. As soon as the pasta is to your liking, drain it (although I advise not too thoroughly; a little bit of residual water keeps it fresh and binds well with the sauce) and place in a pasta dish (or dishes). Turn off the heat for the sauce and spoon it onto the centre of the pasta.

Remember, this is a rich dish and you don't need vast amounts of sauce to the pasta. A smaller amount will feel like it goes a long way.

Lastly, you can either add a little more parmesan on the top or serve as-is.

I'd recommend serving with a Sangiovese red wine and good company. Enjoy.