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Categories:Viewed: 60 - Published at: 4 years ago
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup minced pancetta or bacon, optional
- 3 or 4 potatoes, about 1 1/2 pounds, peeled and cut into bite-size chunks
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 3 or 4 small dried hot red chiles, or to taste (or substitute about 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes)
- 1 28-ounce can whole plum tomatoes, not drained
- 1 1/2 pounds assorted dried pasta
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method
- Put several cups of water in a pot on stove, and keep it at a simmer.
- Place olive oil in a large saucepan, and turn heat to medium.
- If you're using pancetta or bacon, add it to the oil and cook, stirring occasionally, until it becomes slightly crisp, about 10 minutes.
- (If you are omitting the meat, proceed to the next step.)
- Add potatoes, garlic and chiles and raise the heat to medium-high.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes begin to brown all over, about 10 minutes.
- Add tomatoes and their juice, along with 2 cups of the simmering water, and bring to a boil.
- Turn heat down to medium-low, and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally to break up the tomatoes and prevent sticking.
- While potato mixture is cooking, break long dried pasta, like spaghetti, into several lengths; place cut pasta, like ziti, in a bag, and break it up with the back of a pot or a hammer.
- After potato mixture has simmered for about 10 minutes, add pasta and plenty of salt and pepper to pot.
- Simmer, stirring and adding the simmering water as necessary; mixture should remain thick and stewy, never dry.
- When potatoes are tender and pasta quite tender this will take 20 minutes or more the dish is done.
- (It may be covered and refrigerated for a day or two, or put in a closed container and frozen for several weeks; it's likely that you will need to add more liquid when you reheat.)
- Check the seasoning, and add some crushed red pepper flakes, black pepper or salt if needed.
- Serve hot, in bowls.
