Pasta with pork belly

Information

• 🍳 Cook time: ~45 minutes
• 🍽 Serving size: 2-3 portions

Ingredients

• 350g bucatini, rigatoni or spaghetti
• 130–150g smoked pork belly (rind removed)
• 400g peeled whole tomatoes (fresh, blanched, or high quality canned)
• 60–70g finely grated Pecorino Romano
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Prepare peeled tomatoes, cut shallow X on the bottom of each tomato through the skin, drop into boiling water for half a minute, or until the skin starts to curl. Transfter to cold water for 1-2 minutes. Peel off beginning from the X. Remove hard core.
2. Cut the pork belly to 1 cm thick batons, take a heavy stainless steel pan, and cook it on 140C for 8-12 minutes. Stir every 2-3 minu tes. There should be no aggressive smoke, if there is, reduce temp. When ready, remove pork from the pan, set aside, but leave any fat inside the pan.
3. Add the crushed, peeled tomatoes into the pan, stir immediately to prevent scorching, mantain temp at ~100C, 12-15 minutes. Reduce h eat if bubbling aggressively.
4. In a separate pot, boil water, pinch of salt, cook pasta until ready (2 minutes before al dente), reserve ~100ml of the pasta water in a small cup.
5. Transfer pasta into sauce, toss continuously, add splashes of pasta water (~ 60ml usually enough), 1-2 minutes.
6. Add pork belly to pan, toss/cook for another half a minute.
7. Heat OFF, add pecorino while tossing.

Note

If tomatoes end up creating a low viscocity liquid, then simmer uncovered for another few (3-5) minutes just above boiling temp.