My mother in law shared this recipe with me.  It was given to her by Mr. Magpie’s best friend from childhood’s (Sean) mother (Liz or Mrs. T as Mr. Magpie calls her).  Did you follow all that?  Sean’s wife Charlotte has become a dear friend and I shared this recipe with her, which seems to have brought it full circle.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic, finely chopped
• 3-4 ounces Pancetta, cut from a 1/4 inch thick slice into thin strips
• 3 cups of canned whole peeled tomatoes with their juice, coarsely chopped
• 1/4- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/3-1/2 cup tomato puree (Note: This was not in the original recipe but I added to give the recipe more of a sauce texture)
• 12 medium sized fresh basil leaves, torn by hand into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 Tablespoons freshly grated parmesan
• 12 ounces of pasta (Note: I use gluten free)

Instructions: 

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
2. Add the garlic and cook until it sizzles.
3. Add the pancetta stripes and cook until the pancetta is well browned but not crisp.
4. Add canned tomatoes, the red pepper flakes, a little salt (salt amount will depend on pancetta), and tomato puree.
5. Reduce the heat and simmer until the tomatoes have reduced and separated from the oil- about 30-40 minutes depending on the size of the skillet.  Remove from the heat and set aside.  (Note: You can prepare the sauce a head of time up to this point and refrigerate it even a day ahead.)
6. Cook pasta al dente
7. Return the skillet with the sauce to a medium heat and add basil leaves.
8. When the pasta is cooked, drain and toss with sauce.
9. Garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Yields 4 servings

Allergen information:

• This recipe is egg free.
• This recipe is dairy free if you omit the cheese.
• This recipe is gluten free if using gluten free pasta.
• This recipe is nut free.

Nutrition information:

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