Pasta Romana (Italian Lardons, Tomatoes and Parmesan)

This dish is very easy to make and requires very little time to prepare. This rich taste of lardons and two types of tomatoes give a fully bodied taste.

Sauce:
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
4-6 cloves of garlic, slivered
7 oz lardons, pancetta, or smoked bacon
1 (14 oz) can Italian chopped tomatoes with liquid
12 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped
3 Tbsp. Parmesan or Romano cheese, freshly grated
2 Tbsp. butter
sea salt
black pepper, freshly cracked

Pasta:
1 lb long pasta (spaghetti, fettucine, linguine, etc.)
4 Tbsp. sea salt

Garnish:
Parmesan cheese, grated
fresh basil leaves, chopped

In a frying pan, sauté the onion till softened but not browned. Add the lardons and garlic, and brown them. Add the canned tomatoes and the chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente (about 8 minutes).

Strain pasta (reserving 2 Tbsp. of the water), then pour into the pan with the prepared sauce, adding the reserved 2 Tbsp. pasta water and then leaving the pasta to flavour for 1 minute.

Add the butter and the Parmesan or Romano cheese, take the pan off the heat and mix everything to coat well.

Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately with additional grated cheese and basil if desired.

Makes 4 servings.