Bucatini is very thick spaghetti – with a hole or buco – in the middle. Here in Umbria, we would use the strangozzi – thick spaghetti, made with just flour and water – also called in Umbrian dialect strozzapreti or “priest-chokers” – well, as Cardinal Ugo Poletti once lamented, “The Italians are Catholic but anti-clerical at one and the same time”! Ingredients: (for 8 persons) 1-1/4 lb or so of bucatini 2-1/2 lbs of canned Roma tomatoes 3- 4 oz (or more to taste) pancetta (Italian salt-cured bacon – if you use other bacon, will not have the same flavor!) or prosciutto 1 c Parmesan celery stalk carrot red wine q.b. (q.b. = “quanto basta” or “as needed”!) about 1/4 c extravergine olive oil salt, pepper q.b. (see above) In saucepan, add diced onion, celery, carrot to olive oil (enough to cover the pan) which is hot, though not burning.
Stir til golden and add the diced pancetta (or prosciutto), stirring briefly. Cover with red wine and when it has evaporated, add the tomatoes, finely-chopped and season with salt, pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and cook at moderate heat about 1/2 hour. Cook pasta in abundant salted water.
Drain when cooked al dente (“to the tooth” – ie, chewy).
Put in serving bowl and add a few tablespoons of grated Parmesan, then cover with half of sauce and mix well. When putting into the individual pasta bowls, add the rest of the sauce and the remaining Parmesan.
Serve very hot.